In European Equity Markets closed higher on Thursday afternoon as President Donald Trump clarified his position on Syria and earnings season kicked off. The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed 0.7 percent to the upside after a morning of mixed trade. Technology jumped in afternoon trade to close as the best performing sector, 1.4 percent in the green. British hedge fund Man Group traded at the top of the European benchmark throughout the day, closing 8 percent higher on earnings news. On the down side, Carrefour closed off 3.4 percent after the French food retailer reported weaker-than-anticipated figures for the first quarter.

In Currency Markets the US dollar was on track to snap a four-day losing streak against a basket of major currencies on Thursday, as worries about the threat of a clash between Western powers and Russia in Syria faded. The dollar was up 0.57 percent against the Swiss franc and 0.52 percent higher against the Japanese yen. The euro was down 0.46 percent at $1.2308 after minutes from the European Central Bank’s meeting in March showed that policymakers expressed concern over the risk of a full-fledged trade war with the United States and fretted over the potentially harmful impact of the euro’s strength. The pound was up 0.34 percent at $1.4224.

In Commodities Markets oil prices edged off highs last reached in late 2014, pressured by a stronger dollar, but crude futures still drew support from mounting political tension in the Middle East and shrinking global oil inventories. Brent crude futures were at $71.67 a barrel, down 39 cents. U.S. WTI crude futures were down 13 cents at $66.68. OPEC said the global oil stocks surplus was close to evaporating due to healthy demand and its own supply cuts. On Wednesday, both Brent and WTI hit their highest since late 2014, $73.09 for Brent and $67.45 a barrel for U.S. crude, after Saudi Arabia said it intercepted missiles over Riyadh and U.S. President Donald Trump warned of military action in Syria.

In US Equity Markets benchmarks bounced higher on Thursday, driven by gains in technology, financial and industrials stocks as investors hoped that lower U.S. taxes could boost first quarter corporate profits. The S&P 500 rose 1 percent, to 2,668.64 and the Nasdaq Composite was up 1.21 percent, at 7,154.27. Delta Air Lines jumped 2.84 percent after the U.S. carrier reported a rise in quarterly revenue, boosted by higher average fares and passenger traffic. Facebook  shares fell 1 percent, after rising 5.3 percent in the past two days when Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress on the data privacy scandal.

In Bond Markets Euro zone yields edged higher on Thursday but held near recent lows as possible U.S. military action against Syria stoked geopolitical risk concerns and boosted demand for safe-haven assets. Germany’s 10-year bund yield, the benchmark for the bloc and a traditional safe-haven asset, hovered around 0.51 percent towards the close, a basis point higher on the day. Its U.S. counterpart traded as much as 3 basis points higher at 2.82 percent after minutes from the Federal Reserve’s last policy meeting showed policymakers felt the U.S. economy would firm further and inflation would rise in the coming months.