In European Equity Markets stocks finished modestly higher Thursday, with bank shares charging up as European Central Bank Mario Draghi suggested deflationary pressures have lessened, though energy shares lost ground as oil prices slid. The Stoxx Europe 600 rose 0.1 percent to close at 372.89. Among bank shares, Germany’s Deutsche Bank AG climbed 1.4 percent, Spain’s Banco Santander SA advanced 2.5 percent, and France’s Société Générale SA tacked on 2.1 percent. The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil & Gas Index lost 1.5 percent. Carrefour SA fell 4 percent after the retailer said net profit fell in 2016, hurt by declining sales in Asia and its home market of France.

In Currency Markets the dollar hit a three-week high against the yen on Thursday, on course for a fourth straight day of gains after a strong ADP job number in the previous session broke 10-year U.S. government bond yields out of a long-held range. The euro rose above the $1.06 level during Draghi’s remarks, reversing earlier selling that had brought it to a six-day low. It was last up 0.37 percent at $1.0578. Sterling was last trading down 0.4 percent at 86.69 pence per euro, and 0.1 percent lower at $1.2160. Against Japanese yen, the dollar gained 0.45 percent to trade at 114.86. The Aussie was down 0.29 percent at $0.7505, while Kiwi fell 0.2 percent to $0.6900.  The dollar index was last down 0.14 percent at 101.930.

In Commodities Markets  oil prices slid 2 percent on Thursday, extending the previous session’s dive that brought prices to the lowest levels this year, as record U.S. crude inventories fed doubts about whether OPEC-led supply cuts would reduce a global glut. Brent crude fell $1.19 a barrel, or 2.2 percent, to $51.92. U.S. light crude was down about 2.4 percent to $49.09 a barrel after reaching an intraday low of $48.79. On Wednesday, U.S. crude plummeted 5.4 percent. Spot gold was down 0.3 percent to $1,203.50 an ounce. In other precious metals, silver fell 0.7 percent to $17.11 an ounce. Platinum fell 1 percent to $935 after hitting a low of $932.75, the weakest since Jan. 4, while palladium slid 2.2 percent to $753.20.

In US Equity Markets  the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were on track to snap a three-day losing streak on Thursday, as bank stocks climbed amid signs of strength in the labor market and a near-certain interest rate hike. The Dow was up 0.15 percent, at 20,888, the S&P 500 was up 0.14 percent, at 2,366.39 and the Nasdaq Composite was up 0.12 percent, at 5,844.57. Johnson & Johnson was  up 1.2 percent after Jefferies raised its price target on the healthcare conglomerate’s stock. Apple was the top drag on the S&P and the Nasdaq, falling 0.3 percent on chatter that iPhone 8 launch could be delayed. American International Group edged up 0.5 percent after Chief Executive Officer Peter Hancock said he would resign.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields rose on Thursday with longer-dated yields hovering at their highest levels in about 11 weeks, in step with their German counterparts ahead of a $12 billion sale of 30-year U.S. government bonds. Benchmark 10-year Treasury yield was up 3 basis points at 2.583 percent after touching 2.589 percent which was its highest level since Dec. 20. Two-year yield, which is most sensitive to traders’ view on Fed policy, was up nearly 2 basis points at 1.371 percent.