In Asian Equity Markets stocks rebounded of Friday after steep losses in the previous session as strong U.S. economic growth and Apple Inc’s impressive earnings offset some bearishness generated by the Federal Reserve’s hawkish comments. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.4 percent. Japan’s Nikkei stock index rose 2.25 percent on Friday. Australian stocks were up 2.19 percent. Benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.43 percent while Shenzhen SE Composite Index advanced 0.97 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index however lost 0.71 percent.

In Currency Markets the dollar was headed for its best week in seven months on Friday, driven higher by a flight from risky assets and markets pricing a year ahead of aggressive hikes in U.S. interest rates. The yen hovered at 115.43 to the dollar and the Australian and New Zealand dollars languished – the kiwi falling slightly to a fresh 15-month low of $0.6570. The euro crept marginally higher to $1.1152 from Thursday’s 20-month low of $1.1131. Sterling was pushed to a one-month low of $1.3360 on Thursday but has bounced to $1.3409 as traders await the Bank of England’s meeting next week.

In US Equity Markets stocks gyrated wildly on Thursday, the S&P 500 once again narrowly avoiding correction confirmation at the end of a session marked by a rally, selloff and recovery as investors juggled positive economic news with mixed corporate earnings, geopolitical unrest and the prospect of a more hawkish Federal Reserve. The Dow fell 0.02 percent, to 34,160.78, the S&P 500 lost 0.54 percent, to 4,326.51 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 1.4 percent, to 13,352.78. Apple Inc shares gained more than 2 percent in post-market trading after the iPhone maker beat profit estimates.

In Commodities Markets oil prices fell on Thursday after Brent crude hit a seven-year high above $90 a barrel, as the market balanced concerns about tight worldwide supply with expectations the U.S. Federal Reserve will soon tighten monetary policy. Brent fell 62 cents to settle at $89.34 a barrel, while U.S. crude closed 74 cents lower at $86.61 a barrel. Spot gold was down 1.3 percent at $1,794.30 an ounce. Spot silver lost 3.3 percent to $22.71 an ounce. Platinum fell 0.9 percent to $1,022.15 an ounce and palladium gained for the eighth straight session, rising 1.9 percent to $2,372.20.

In European Equity Markets stocks shrugged off a weak start to the session to end higher on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve signalled a March interest rate hike, with defensive sectors including healthcare and utilities leading the gains. The pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.7 percent, with most major regional markets reversing course to end the day higher. Healthcare, telecommunications and utilities rose nearly 2 percent each. German business software group SAP fell 6.0 percent after it said it has agreed to buy a majority stake in privately held U.S. fintech firm Taulia.

In Bond Markets U.S. yields on the shorter end of the curve soared on Thursday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell flagged multiple interest rate increases this year, citing the economy’s strong labor market and persistently high inflation. The benchmark 10-year yield slid 4 basis points to 1.8012 percent, while 30-year yields fell 8 basis points to 2.0907 percent. In afternoon trading, U.S. 2-year yields were last up nearly 10 basis points at 1.1882 percent, while 5-year yields were up 1.5 basis points at 1.6599 percent.