In Asian Equity Markets indices fell on Thursday. Mainland Chinese shares dipped in morning trade, with the Shanghai composite slipping 0.37% and the Shenzhen component down 0.38%. The Nikkei 225 in Japan traded 0.45% lower, while the Topix declined 0.48%. Staffing services company Recruit Holdings Co retreated 7.6% after it announced plans to sell approximately 7.16% of its outstanding shares through a secondary offering. Over in South Korea, the Kospi was down 0.32%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.17%.

In Currency Markets the U.S. dollar held gains against the safe-haven yen on Thursday as ebbing recession worries soothed markets after earlier volatility although the pound nursed its losses as investors became increasingly worried about a hard Brexit. Sterling fell 0.6% against the greenback on Wednesday after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson moved to suspend parliament, seen as a bid to limit debate ahead of the Oct. 31 deadline for the UK to leave the European Union. That increased expectations of a “no-deal Brexit,” which would mean a departure without trading agreements in place.

In Commodities Markets oil prices rose nearly 2% on Wednesday after a larger-than-expected decline in U.S. crude stockpiles helped ease worries about weakening oil demand caused by the trade war between Washington and Beijing. Brent crude futures settled 98 cents, or 1.7%, higher at $60.49 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate crude ended at $55.78 a barrel, rising 85 cents, or 1.6%. U.S. crude oil inventories fell last week by 10 million barrels, compared with analysts’ expectations for a decrease of 2.1 million barrels, as imports slowed, the Energy Information Administration said.

In US Equity Markets stocks advanced on Wednesday, as gains in financial and energy shares helped equities recover from initial declines, but investors remained cautious about the potential for another flare-up in U.S.-China trade tensions. The S&P 500 gained 0.56%, to 2,885.37 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.27%, to 7,847.71. Shares of Tiffany & Co rose 3.6% after the luxury jeweler reported quarterly earnings above analysts’ estimates. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co’s shares added 3.4% after the company beat profit estimates and raised its 2019 adjusted earnings forecast.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields held at lower levels Wednesday afternoon following solid demand at a $41 billion auction of five-year government debt, part of the $113 billion fixed-rate coupon-bearing government securities for sale this week. The yields on five-year Treasuries on the open market were 1.358%, which were down 3.4 basis points from late on Tuesday, while benchmark 10-year note yields were 1.449%, which were down 4.1 basis points on the day.