In Asian Equity Markets stocks fell on Friday as uncertainty over U.S. monetary policy triggered sharp losses in technology stocks, while Japan’s Nikkei index rallied as the incoming head of the Bank of Japan vowed to maintain ultra-loose policy. The Nikkei 225 jumped 1.1 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 1.4 percent, driven by an over 4 percent loss in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. South Korea’s KOSPI lost 0.6 percent, while the Taiwan Weighted index fell 0.4 percent. China’s Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 index fell 1 percent, while the Shanghai Composite index shed 0.7 percent.

In Currency Markets the dollar was set for its fourth straight week of gains as investors braced for U.S. interest rates to be higher for longer, while the yen was volatile, with incoming Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda saying it was appropriate to keep ultra-loose monetary policy. Meanwhile, the euro was up 0.04 percent at $1.0599 and was set to end the week nearly 1 percent lower. Sterling was last trading at $1.2018, up 0.04 percent. The Australian dollar rose 0.10 percent to $0.681. The kiwi advanced 0.06 percent to $0.623. The dollar index was at 104.54 on Friday.

In US Equity Markets stocks ended a topsy-turvy Thursday in positive territory, with the S&P 500 snapping a four-session losing streak, as investors grappled with how interest rate policy might affect the U.S. economy. The Dow rose 0.33 percent, to 33,153.91, the S&P 500 gained 0.53 percent, to 4,012.32 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.72 percent, to 11,590.40. Communication services was the biggest decliner, falling 0.7 percent. It was weighed by Netflix Inc, which lost 3.4 percent on reports the streaming service was cutting subscription prices in 30 countries.

In Commodities Markets oil prices settled up 2 percent on Thursday on expectations of steep cuts to Russian production next month, but a stronger dollar and a sharper-than-expected jump in U.S. inventories added to demand concerns. Brent crude futures settled up 2 percent, to $82.21 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate crude futures (WTI) settled up 2 percent, to $75.39 a barrel, ending a sixth session losing streak. Spot gold was down 0.1 percent at $1,823.16 per ounce. Spot silver fell 0.9 percent to $21.31 per ounce, platinum lost 0.2 percent to $947.33, and palladium fell 2.9 percent to $1,439.82.

In European Equity Markets stocks inched higher on Thursday, after two straight sessions of declines, supported by financial stocks and upbeat guidance by regional companies, while U.S. semiconductor designer Nvidia’s positive sales forecast sparked a rally in chip stocks. The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.1 percent. Chipmakers ASM International, BE Semiconductor and Aixtron gained between 0.4 percent and 1.2 percent. Auto stocks rose 1.0 percent, with carmaker Stellantis up 3.6 percent. Banks gained 0.9 percent, while insurers added 0.3 percent.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields slid in choppy trading on Thursday, with investors already factoring in strong economic data that has supported expectations of a few more interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve this year. In afternoon trading, the yield on 10-year Treasury notes was down 4.6 bps at 3.876 percent. U.S. 30-year Treasury bond yields fell 5.7 bps to 3.872 percent. The U.S. two-year yield, which typically reflects interest rate expectations, was little changed at 4.697 percent.