In Asian Equity Markets indices were mixed on Wednesday on the back of declines overnight on Wall Street. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose by about 0.5 percent before falling to trade about 0.18 percent lower. The Shanghai composite initially advanced by 0.14 percent but fell into negative territory. Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.18 percent while the Topix fell 0.65 percent. Shares of automaker Subaru fell, seeing losses of 5.81 percent after the company slashed its operating income estimate for the first half of the fiscal year ending Mar. 31, 2019.

In Currency Markets the safe-haven Japanese yen and the Swiss franc held firm against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday as risk-averse investors trimmed their exposure to the greenback in the face of a weak performance on Wall Street. The Japanese yen was steady at 112.43 in early Asian trade, having gained 0.32 percent on Tuesday and was the best performing currency in the G-10 space in that session. The Swiss franc, considered another safe haven, traded flat at 0.9952 on the dollar, after advancing over the last two sessions.

In Commodities Markets oil prices on Wednesday clawed back a fraction of their hefty losses the day before that came after Saudi Arabia said it would make up for supply disruptions from U.S. sanctions starting next month on Iran’s petroleum exports. Front-month Brent crude oil futures were at $76.72 a barrel, 28 cents, or 0.4 percent, above their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $66.66 a barrel, up 23 cents, or 0.4 percent, from their last settlement.

In US Equity Markets stocks fell on Tuesday after worries about the earnings outlook added to recent selling pressure, though major indexes ended well off the day’s lows. Shares of Caterpillar fell 7.6 percent after the heavy-equipment maker maintained its 2018 earnings forecast, following forecast increases in the previous two quarters. 3M Co slid 4.4 percent after cutting its full-year profit outlook due to foreign currency-related challenges. the S&P 500 lost 0.55 percent, to 2,740.69 and the Nasdaq Composite 0.42 percent, to 7,437.54.

In Bond Markets benchmark U.S. Treasury yields fell to their lowest in almost three weeks on Tuesday. Benchmark 10-year notes gained 14/32 in price to yield 3.143 percent, after falling to 3.11 percent, the lowest yield since Oct. 3. The yield curve between two-year and 10-year notes flattened to 25 basis points, also the lowest since Oct. 3. The Treasury Department sold $38 billion in two-year notes on Tuesday to solid demand, the first sale of debt totaling $108 billion in coupon-bearing supply this week. The notes sold at a high yield of 2.88 percent, the highest since 2008.