In Asian Equity Markets stocks advanced on Tuesday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 285.75 points, or 1.29 percent, extending a 1.19 percent gain seen in the last trading session. The technology, financials and manufacturing sectors traded in positive territory. Among index heavyweights, SoftBank Group advanced 0.76 percent, Fanuc Manufacturing gained 2.15 percent and Fast Retailing added 1.32 percent. Automakers also traded higher, with Honda Motor climbing 2.23 percent. Across the Korean Strait, the Kospi tacked on 0.34 percent, with gains seen in automakers, financials and financials early in the session. The Shanghai composite declined 0.91 percent while the Shenzhen composite shed 0.21 percent.

In Currency Markets the US dollar eased on Tuesday as investors awaited a slew of economic data this week and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s testimony, which could determine whether the U.S. currency’s recovery from a three-year low has more room to run. The dollar’s index against a basket of six major currencies fell 0.1 percent to 89.728 . The greenback, however, is still 1.7 percent above a three-year trough near 88.25 set on Feb. 16. The focus this week is Powell’s first congressional testimony, at a time when investors are nervous over the pace of U.S. monetary tightening as it unwinds years of stimulus. The euro edged up 0.2 percent to $1.2339 , with investors seen cautious about taking big positions this week ahead of political events in Europe.

In Commodities Markets oil prices on Tuesday erased earlier gains as investor concerns about rising U.S. oil output offset signs of stronger demand and faith in the ability of OPEC production curbs to curtail supply. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for April deliverywas down 15 cents, or 0.2 percent, at $63.76 a barrel. The contract on Monday rose to its highest since Feb. 6 at $64.24. Brent crudein London was down 10 cents, or 0.2 percent, at $67.40 a barrel. The American Petroleum Institute is scheduled to release its weekly data later on Tuesday, followed by the EIA on Wednesday. U.S. crude inventories are forecast to have risen by 2.7 million barrels last week, a preliminary Reuters poll showed on Monday.

In US Equity Markets stocks rose to more than three-week highs on Monday, recovering much of the losses sustained in a sell-off earlier this month, as a decline in Treasury yields assuaged investor concerns about rising interest rates and refocused attention on economic growth. All three major indexes rose more than 1 percent. The S&P 500 is now just 3.2 percent below its peak on Jan. 26.  Among the leading S&P 500 sectors were technology, which gained 1.6 percent, industrials, which rose 1.4 percent, and financials, which added 1.5 percent. Berkshire Hathaway gained 4.0 percent after Warren Buffett said his conglomerate, which is sitting on $116 billion of cash, is “more inclined” to repurchase stock than pay dividends as a means to use excess cash.

In Bond Markets Japanese government bond prices tracked gains in U.S. Treasuries and edged up on Tuesday, with the yield curve steepening slightly after an auction of two-year debt attracted strong investor demand. The two-year yield fell 1 basis point to minus 0.165 percent, while the 40-year yield slipped 0.5 basis point to 0.880 percent. Tuesday’s 2.2 trillion yen ($20.57 billion) two-year JGB auction found plenty of bids amid the recent volatility in the equity markets. The bid-to-cover ratio, a gauge of demand at auctions, at the sale rose to 5.84 from 5.02 at the previous auction last month and was the highest since June 2017.