In European Equity Markets the pan-European Stoxx 600 finished down around 0.12 percent during Friday. On the week the European list of blue chips shed 2.68 percent. Autos were the under-performer sector. Volkswagen lost 2.5 percent after announced a 44 billion euro bid to transform a large part of its business toward electric cars. Meanwhile, media stocks were up more than half a percent amid earnings news. French media conglomerate Vivendi reported stronger-than-anticipated third quarter sales on Friday. Shares rose more than 3 percent.

In Currency Markets the pound found some solace on Friday after a leading eurosceptic minister pledged support for Britain’s embattled premier Theresa May, who struck a defiant tone despite strong opposition to her Brexit deal. Sterling was up 0.6 percent to $1.2846 after earlier hitting as high as $1.2877. Versus the euro it gave up earlier gains and traded flat at 88.715 pence. Sterling suffered its largest one-day decline in two years versus the euro and the dollar on Thursday after a wave of ministers opposed to May’s Brexit deal with Brussels resigned.

In Commodities Markets oil rose on Friday on expectations that OPEC and its allies would agree to cut output next month but prices remained down on the week on concerns that the global market was oversupplied. Brent was up $1.36 at $67.98 a barrel. The global benchmark looked set for a third day of gains since hitting an eight-month low on Tuesday, but was down more than 3 percent on last week’s close. U.S. light crude was up 98 cents at $57.44 after its steepest one-day loss in more than three years on Tuesday.

In US Equity Markets the S&P 500 edged lower on Friday as chip stocks fell after weak forecasts from Nvidia and Applied Materials, but a recovery in oil prices for a third day lifted energy stocks. Nvidia Corp fell 17.9 percent, leading decliners on the S&P 500, after the chip designer blamed unsold chips piling up as the cryptocurrency mining boom fizzles out. The S&P 500 was down 0.21 percent, at 2,724.36 and the Nasdaq Composite was down 0.57 percent, at 7,217.86. Five of the 11 major S&P sectors were higher, with energy shares rising 0.9 percent.

In Bond Markets U.S. benchmark Treasury 10-year and two-year yields fell to two week lows on Friday after a top Federal Reserve official said U.S. interest rates are nearing the central bank’s estimates of a neutral rate. In morning trading, U.S. 10-year note yields fell as low as 3.081 percent, down from 3.118 percent late Thursday. Yields were last at 3.084 percent. On the short end of the curve, U.S. two-year yields slid to a two-week trough of 2.812 percent, compared with Thursday’s 2.862 percent.