In Asian Equity Markets stocks came under moderate pressure on Tuesday, with Japan the lone market in positive territory, as oil prices edged slightly higher after an overnight decline. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 0.82 percent amid broad-based losses. Energy led the declines, with CNOOC falling 2.62 percent. Meanwhile, the Shanghai composite pulled back by 0.65 percent and the Shenzhen composite slipped 0.44 percent. The Nikkei 225, which edged higher by 0.44 percent as Japanese markets reopened for trade after a holiday.

In Currency Markets the US dollar pared gains against its major peers on Tuesday, edging lower as investors awaited Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s first congressional testimony for any clues on the pace of U.S. interest rate rises. Powell will testify on the economy and monetary policy before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee at 1400 GMT on Tuesday, followed by a testimony at the same time on Wednesday to the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee. On Tuesday, the dollar traded basically flat at 94.51 against a basket of six major currencies.

In Commodities Markets brent crude prices rose from a three-month low on Tuesday after more oil workers went on strike in Norway, supporting a market that has been dominated by oversupply issues in recent days. Brent crude futures had climbed 28 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $72.12 a barrel. They fell 4.6 percent on Monday, at one point touching their lowest since mid-April. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were down 1 cent at $68.05. Oil fell on Monday as Libyan ports reopened and traders eyed potential supply increases by Russia and other producers.

In US Equity Markets the S&P 500 ended slightly lower on Monday following a decline in oil prices that weighed on energy shares and offset a jump in financials as Bank of America’s results reinforced expectations of a strong U.S. earnings season. The S&P 500 lost 0.10 percent, to 2,798.43 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.26 percent, to 7,805.72. Netflix shares ended the session up 1.2 percent but fell more than 14 percent after the bell when it reported results. The company missed Wall Street forecasts for U.S. and international subscribers.

In Bond Markets Treasury yields remained buoyant after rising overnight when strong U.S. domestic retail sales supported the view of solid economic growth in the second quarter. The two-year Treasury yield was at 2.598 percent and in reach of a decade-high of 2.611 percent scaled on Monday. The yield on 10-year Treasuries held at 2.86 percent after gaining three basis points. Australia’s 10-year bond yield rose two basis point to 2.66 percent.