In Asian Equity Markets stocks advanced on Tuesday as investors digested comments from Chinese President Xi Jinping on measures planned to further open up the Chinese economy. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 advanced 1.08 percent after beginning the day in negative territory. South Korea’s Kospi index, meanwhile, erased earlier losses to edge up by 0.25 percent. Elsewhere, China markets traded mostly higher. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 0.9 percent after its tentative open this morning. On the mainland, the Shanghai composite tacked on 0.48 percent and the Shenzhen composite was off by 0.05 percent.

In Currency Markets the US dollar bounced against the yen on Tuesday, with broader risk appetite improving after a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping promising to cut import tariffs eased concerns about a trade conflict between the world’s two largest economies. The dollar was up 0.3 percent at 107.130 yen after going as high as 107.245. The Australian dollar, sensitive to shifts in risk sentiment, was up 0.5 percent at $0.7737. The euro rose to 132.035 yen, its highest since March 14. The euro was steady at $1.2317 after rising about 0.35 percent the previous day, when it touched a six-day high of $1.2331.

In Commodities Markets oil markets rose for a second day on Tuesday on hopes that a trade dispute between the United States and China, the world’s two biggest crude consumers, may be resolved without greater damage to the global economy. Yet prices remain within recent ranges as oil markets still face an abundance of supply that puts pressure on producers to keep their prices competitive in order not to lose market share. Brent crude futures were at $68.97 per barrel, up 32 cents, or 0.5 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were at $63.76 a barrel, up 34 cents, or 0.5 percent.

In US Equity Markets major indexes rose on Monday as a softer stance by U.S. policymakers on China tariffs powered a rebound from last week’s selloff, but stocks pared much of their gains late in the session after a report that the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided the office of President Donald Trump’s lawyer. Technology and health stocks led the benchmark S&P 500’s major sectors. The S&P 500 gained 0.33 percent to 2,613.16 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.51 percent, to 6,950.34. Merck shares rose 5.2 percent after the drug-maker’s blockbuster cancer drug, Keytruda, met the main study goal of helping previously untreated lung cancer patients live longer.

In Bond Markets Japanese government bond prices were flat-to-slightly lower on Tuesday, capped by a bounce in Tokyo’s Nikkei after a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping revived investors’ risk appetite. The five-year JGB yield was flat at minus 0.120 percent while the benchmark 10-year yield rose 0.5 basis point to 0.035 percent. The 30-year yield was unchanged at 0.735 percent. While gains in equities weighed, JGBs drew a degree of support after a liquidity-enhancing auction attracted robust investor demand. The bid-to-cover ratio, a gauge of demand, at the 600 billion yen ($5.60 billion) auction designed to improve market liquidity, rose to 3.91 from 3.55.