In Asian Equity Markets stocks fell on Friday and were set to end the week lower as rising U.S. Treasury yields ramped up fears of a looming recession, while weaker-than-expected Chinese inflation data also weighed on regional sentiment. China’s Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 and Shanghai Composite indexes fell 0.7 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively, as data showed that consumer inflation grew less than expected in January. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index sank 1.8 percent. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rose slightly on Friday, as data showed producer inflation fell slightly more than expected in January.

In Currency Markets the dollar was broadly higher on Friday as investors remained risk averse ahead of U.S. inflation data next week, with worries of an economic slowdown and the pace of the Federal Reserve’s rate increases denting sentiment. The euro was down 0.15 percent to $1.072. Meanwhile, the yen weakened 0.12 percent to 131.74 per dollar. Elsewhere, the Australian dollar fell 0.20 percent to $0.692, while the kiwi was down 0.24 percent against the U.S. dollar at $0.631. The dollar index rose 0.155 percent at 103.34.

In US Equity Markets stocks fell on Thursday, erasing earlier gains as Treasury yields rose after an auction of 30-year bonds went poorly and overshadowed strong earnings from corporate giants like Disney and PepsiCo. The Dow fell 0.73 percent, to 33,699.88, the S&P 500 lost 0.88 percent, to 4,081.5 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 1.02 percent, to 11,789.58. Disney Co beat earnings estimates and announced job cuts, encouraging activist investor Nelson Peltz to terminate his quest for a board seat. Still, it ended down 1.27 percent. Salesforce Inc rose 2.38 percent on reports that hedge fund Third Point LLC owns a stake in the company.

In Commodities Markets crude prices eased on Thursday as oil infrastructure appeared to have escaped serious damage from the earthquake that devastated parts of Turkey and Syria, while U.S. inventories swelled and investors worried about Federal Reserve rate hikes. Brent crude settled at $84.50 a barrel, losing 0.7 percent. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures settled at $78.06 a barrel, down 0.5 percent. Spot gold fell 0.5 percent to $1,865.60 per ounce. Spot silver fell 1.2 percent to $22.06 per ounce, platinum lost 1.4 percent, to $956.84, and palladium fell 1.4 percent to $1,626.29.

In European Equity Markets stocks climbed for the third straight session on Thursday as cooling inflation in Germany and a slew of upbeat earnings offset concerns over hawkish comments by top central bank policymakers and alleviated fears of a steep recession. The pan-European STOXX 600 ended up 0.6 percent, after hitting a near one-year high earlier in the session. The German DAX rose 0.7 percent, closing at its highest level in nearly one year. AstraZeneca Plc rose 4.1 percent after the British drugmaker projected growth in 2023 and beyond.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields fell from one-month highs on Thursday as investors evaluated the likely path of Federal Reserve policy after last week’s blockbuster jobs report, and before highly expected inflation data due next week. Benchmark 10-year note yields were last at 3.586 percent, after reaching 3.692 percent on Wednesday, the highest since Jan. 6. Two-year yields were at 4.436 percent. The yield curve between two-year and 10-year notes inverted further to minus 85 basis points, reflecting concerns about an impending recession.