In Asian Equity Markets stocks closed higher on Friday. Gains in the region were led by South Korea’s Kospi, which bounced back to rise more than 1.5 percent after slipping in the last session. The Nikkei 225 edged up 0.72 percent, or 156.34 points, to close at 21,892.78. Oil-related stocks were higher as oil prices mostly held onto overnight gains. Inpex and JXTG Holdings added 2.12 percent and 3.34 percent, respectively, by the end of the session. Gains in Seoul were more convincing, with the benchmark Kospi index advancing 1.54 percent to close at 2,451.52. Major technology stocks traded higher on the day, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix gaining 0.98 percent and 1.84 percent, respectively. In Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 tacked on 0.82 percent to finish at 5,999.8.

In Currency Markets the US dollar edged up against the yen and other currencies on Friday, trimming earlier losses, as global investors gingerly dipped their toes back into riskier assets amid rapidly shifting views on U.S. monetary policy. The dollar edged up 0.1 percent to 106.850 yen. It had fallen nearly 1 percent overnight as U.S. Treasury yields retreated from four-year peaks. The euro slipped 0.2 percent to $1.2306 after gaining 0.4 percent the previous day. The common currency has lost 0.9 percent so far this week, following its ascent to a three-year top of $1.2556 on Feb. 16. The Australian dollar dipped 0.2 percent to $0.7828 after gaining 0.5 percent the previous day. The Aussie was on track for a loss of 0.85 percent this week.

In Commodities Markets oil prices were marginally lower on Friday as high U.S. crude exports outweighed lower crude inventories in the world’s biggest consumer of the fuel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $62.70 a barrel, down 7 cents from their last settlement. Brent crude futures were down 11 cents at $66.28 a barrel. WTI was still on track to rise about 1.7 percent for the week, and Brent was up 2.2 percent, with both contracts set for a second weekly gain after falling steeply early in the month. Friday’s slowdown followed bigger price rises the previous day when the EIA said U.S. crude stockpiles fell by 1.6 million barrels in the week to Feb. 16, to 420.48 million barrels, despite a seasonal slowdown in demand at the end of the northern hemisphere winter season.

In US Equity Markets the Dow and S&P 500 advanced on Thursday to halt a two-session losing skid, buoyed by gains in industrial and energy shares as U.S. Treasury yields eased, while the Nasdaq lost ground for a third straight session. The S&P 500 gained 0.10 percent, to 2,703.96, and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.11 percent, to 7,210.09. Industrial shares climbed 0.59 percent, led by a 3.04 percent gain in Quanta Services Inc after its quarterly results and a 3.34 percent rise in United Technologies Corp after the aero parts maker said it is exploring a breakup of its business portfolio. Energy stocks, up 1.08 percent, also helped support gains. Chesapeake Energy Corp shares jumped 21.67 percent, their biggest daily percentage gain since April 2016, after the company’s quarterly results and outlook.

In Bond Markets Japanese government bond prices rose across the board on Friday, lifted by the Bank of Japan’s regular debt-purchasing operation and a bounce in U.S. Treasuries. The two-year yield fell 0.5 basis point to minus 0.160 percent, the 10-year yield declined 0.5 basis point to 0.045 percent and the 40-year yield fell 1.5 basis points to 0.885 percent. The BOJ on Friday bought 850 billion yen ($7.96 billion) of one- to 40-year JGBs as part of its regular bond-purchasing scheme. U.S. Treasury prices gained the previous day following a week of steady declines. The 10-year Treasury note yield pulled back to 2.933 percent after rising to a four-year high of 2.957 percent earlier in the week.