In Asian Equity Markets stocks skidded and the dollar firmed on Monday ahead of a week packed with global central bank meetings, with a torrid session for the world’s most indebted property developer China Evergrande dragging Hong Kong stocks to a near one-year low. Holidays in Japan, China and South Korea kept trading thin, and politics added extra uncertainty with elections in Canada and Germany bookending the week. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slid 1.8 percent to its lowest since August 24, with Australia down sharply by 2 percent.

In Currency Markets the dollar rallied on Monday to a month-high in Asia on Monday as looming catastrophe at indebted developer China Evergrande added extra nerves to a cautious mood, with investors bracing for the Federal Reserve to take another step towards tapering this week. In trade thinned by holidays in Japan, China and South Korea, the euro fell 0.1 percent to $1.1710, its lowest since late August. The Australian dollar fell 0.5 percent to a three-week low of $0.7227 while sterling and the kiwi also hit multi-week troughs on the rising greenback. The dollar index rose 0.1 percent to 93.356.

In US Equity Markets stocks ended sharply lower in a broad sell-off on Friday, ending a week buffeted by strong economic data, corporate tax hike worries, the Delta COVID variant, and possible shifts in the U.S. Federal Reserve’s timeline for tapering asset purchases. The Dow fell 0.48 percent, to 34,584.88; the S&P 500 lost 0.91 percent, at 4,432.99; and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.91 percent, to 15,043.97. COVID vaccine manufacturers Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc fell 1.3 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively, as U.S. health officials moved the debate over booster doses to a panel of independent experts.

In Commodities Markets oil prices fell on Friday as energy companies in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico restarted production after back-to-back hurricanes in the region shut output. Brent crude futures fell 33 cents to settle at $75.34 a barrel. U.S. WTI crude futures fell 64 cents to settle at $71.97 a barrel. Spot gold was down 0.1 percent at $1,751.29 per ounce. Silver fell 2.4 percent at $22.37 per ounce, after hitting its lowest level since end-November 2020, putting it on track for its worst week since mid-June. Platinum rose 0.5 percent to $937.67, while palladium fell 1.4 percent to $2,004.46.

In European Equity Markets stocks fell on Friday, capping their third straight week in the red as the basic resources sector was hit by declines in Anglo American, but news that Britain was mulling easing travel restrictions boosted airlines and hotel groups. The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 0.9 percent. London’s miner-heavy FTSE 100 index shed 0.9 percent, while German stocks fell 1.0 percent. Anglo American lost 8.1 percent after Morgan Stanley and UBS downgraded the stock. The European mining index was also hit by worries about slowing growth in China, falling nearly 8 percent for the week.

In Bond Markets U.S. government bond yields edged up on Friday, with the 10-year yield touching a two-month high, as traders look ahead to a busy week of central bank meetings including a key one at the Federal Reserve. The yield on 10-year Treasury notes was up 3.9 basis points at 1.3702 percent. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was up 2.6 basis points at 1.9071 percent. The two-year U.S. Treasury yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations, was up 0.9 basis points at 0.226 percent.