In Asian Equity Markets stocks were in a mixed mood on Friday after a volatile week in which sentiment over global growth waxed and waned with every new headline on the Delta variant. The MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan which fell 0.4 percent, leaving it down 1.1 percent on the week so far. Japan’s Nikkei was closed for a holiday, but off 1.7 percent for the week and a whisker away from a seven-month trough. Chinese blue chips lost 1 percent, though well within the tight trading range of the past three weeks.

In Currency Markets the dollar was set to end the week close to where it started following a roller-coaster week in which currencies were tossed around by shifting risk appetite, with the market’s focus now shifting to next week’s U.S. Fed meeting. The yen weakened less than 0.1 percent during the week to trade at 110.135. The euro was 0.2 percent lower over the period at $1.1779 after the ECB pledged to keep interest rates at record lows for even longer, as widely expected. The British pound recovered from losses as steep as 1.3 percent for the week to trade about 0.1 percent higher at $1.37755.

In US Equity Markets big tech helped Wall Street inch up to a higher close on Thursday, modestly building on a two-day rally as lackluster economic data and mixed corporate earnings prompted a pivot back to growth stocks. The Dow rose 0.07 percent, to 34,823.35, the S&P 500 gained 0.20 percent, to 4,367.48 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.36 percent, to 14,684.60. Of the 11 major sectors of the S&P 500, tech was shining brightest, gaining 0.7 percent. Energy stocks suffered the largest percentage decline. The S&P 1500 Airlines index ended the session off 1.7 percent.

In Commodities Markets oil prices rose about $1.50 a barrel on Thursday, extending strong gains made in the previous sessions on expectations of tighter supplies until the end of the year as economies recover from the pandemic. U.S. crude recently was unchanged at $71.91 per barrel and Brent was at $73.62, up 1.92 percent on the day. Spot gold had risen 0.1 percent to $1,804.45 per ounce. Elsewhere, silver was up 0.3 percent at $25.29 per ounce, palladium gained 1.9 percent to $2,704.01 and platinum rose 0.8 percent to $1,088.43.

In European Equity Markets stocks rose for a third session on Thursday after the European Central Bank pledged to keep interest rates at record lows for even longer, while strong corporate earnings underpinned optimism about an economic recovery. The region-wide STOXX 600 rose 0.6 percent, recovering fully from its worst selloff in 2021 earlier this week. Travel and leisure stocks topped sectoral gains again, rising 2.7 percent. Weighing on UK’s blue-chip FTSE 100, consumer goods giant Unilever Plc slid 5.9 percent after it cut its full-year operating margin forecast due to surging commodity costs.

In Bond Markets yields on U.S. Treasuries eased on Thursday after the auction of $16 billion in 10-year TIPS was bid at a record low, while the latest jobless claims report reinforced expectations the Federal Reserve’s policy stance will remain dovish. The yield on 10-year Treasury notes fell 2.2 basis points to 1.260 percent. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond slid 3.1 basis points to 1.899 percent. The two-year U.S. Treasury yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations, was down 0.8 basis points at 0.200 percent. The breakeven rate on five-year U.S. TIPS was last at 2.491 percent.