In Asian Equity Markets stocks fell on Wednesday as fears about the spread of the coronavirus dampened a positive lead from a record close on Wall Street. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan lost 0.4 percent, with South Korea falling 0.6 percent and Taiwan shedding 0.9 percent. Chinese blue-chips were down 0.3 percent but Australia gained 0.2 percent, helped by the announcement of a record share buyback by country’s largest bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, with its annual results. Japan’s Nikkei also bucked the trend, gaining 0.6 percent.

In Currency Markets the dollar strengthened in early European trading Wednesday, extending recent gains ahead of U.S. inflation data which could influence Federal Reserve’s tapering thinking. The Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six other currencies, traded around 0.1 percent higher at 93.097. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar rose 0.1 percent to 110.67, the highest since mid July, the euro was largely flat at $1.1717, near a four-month low, Sterling was 0.1 percent lower at $1.3830, near a two-week low, while the risk-sensitive Aussie fell 0.1 percent at $0.7340.

In US Equity Markets stocks rose on Tuesday, with both the blue-chip Dow and benchmark S&P 500 closing at record highs, as economically sensitive value stocks gained with the U.S. Senate’s passage of a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package. The Dow rose 0.46 percent, to 35,264.67, the S&P 500 gained 0.10 percent, to 4,436.75 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.49 percent, to 14,788.09. Kansas City Southern gained 7.47 percent after Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd raised its offer for the U.S. railroad operator by about $2 billion to $27.29 billion.

In Commodities Markets oil prices rose 3 percent on Tuesday, rebounding from recent losses on signs of rising demand in the United States. U.S. crude oil futures settled at $68.29 per barrel, up 2.7 percent. Brent crude futures settled at $70.63 per barrel, up 2.3 percent. Spot gold rose 0.1 percent to $1,730.93 per ounce, while U.S. gold futures settled up 0.3 percent at $1,731.70. In other precious metals, platinum rose 1.8 percent to $997.84 per ounce and palladium gained 1.9 percent to $2,650.25. Silver fell 0.2 percent to $23.40 an ounce.

In European Equity Markets stocks hit record highs on Tuesday, extending gains for a seventh straight session as investors took comfort from strong earnings reports and economic recovery prospects despite concerns about the Delta variant of COVID-19. The pan-European STOXX 600 index gained 0.4 percent to notch an all-time high of 472.95 points. Air France KLM and French hotels company Accor fell after the United States issued a travel warning because of high levels of the COVID-19 virus in France. Swiss duty free retailer Dufry lost 3.0 percent despite boosting its 2021 savings and free cash flow outlook.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields hit their highest levels since mid-July on Tuesday, rising on the long end of the curve after the U.S. Senate passed a massive infrastructure bill, while a three-year note auction produced strong results. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield reached 1.349 percent, its highest since July 15, and last was up 3 basis points at 1.3473 percent. The 30-year bond yield, which rose as high as 1.992 percent, rose 2.9 basis points to 1.9895 percent. The three-year yield was last up 2.4 basis points at 0.4503 percent.