In Asian Equity Markets stocks kept to a tight range on Monday as markets awaited more cues on monetary policy from a slew of Federal Reserve events this week, while Chinese stocks rose sharply on the prospect of more stimulus spending by the government. China’s Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 and Shanghai Composite indexes rose around 1 percent each after the People’s Bank held its key mortgage rates at historic lows. Gains in China spilled over to Hong Kong and Taiwan, with the Hang Seng and Taiwan Weighted indexes rising 0.7 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively.

In Currency Markets the dollar was on the front foot on Monday, supported by a strong run of economic data out of the United States that traders bet will keep the Federal Reserve on its monetary policy tightening path for longer than initially expected. The greenback firmed slightly against most major currencies in Asia trade, sending sterling 0.06 percent lower to $1.2035. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar stood near a roughly two-month high at 134.11. The Aussie rose 0.17 percent to $0.6890, having fallen close to 0.6 percent last week. The euro was down 0.08 percent at $1.06855.

In US Equity Markets the S&P 500 ended lower on Friday, weighed down by Microsoft and Nvidia as investors worried that inflation and a strong U.S. economy could put the Federal Reserve on pace for more interest rate hikes. The S&P 500 declined 0.28 percent to end the session at 4,079.09 points. The Nasdaq fell 0.58 percent to 11,787.27 points, while Dow rose 0.39 percent to 33,826.69 points. Deere & Co rose 7.5 percent after the world’s largest farm equipment maker raised its annual profit and beat quarterly earnings expectations.

In Commodities Markets oil settled down $2 a barrel on Friday and ended the week markedly lower, as traders worried that future U.S. interest rate hikes could weigh on demand and got nervous about mounting signs of ample crude and fuel supply. Brent crude futures settled down 2.5 percent, to $83.00 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) U.S. crude settled down 2.7 percent, to $76.34. Spot gold was up 0.3 percent at $1,842.27 per ounce. Spot silver gained 0.7 percent to $21.7586 per ounce, while palladium was down 0.8 percent at $1,499.21. Platinum was steady at $919.00.

In European Equity Markets stocks retreated on Friday further from one-year highs touched earlier in the week as energy and technology stocks spearheaded losses on mounting concerns that the Federal Reserve would stick to its monetary tightening trajectory for longer. The pan-European STOXX 600 index closed down 0.2 percent. France’s CAC 40 index fell 0.3 percent, while Germany’s DAX index shed 0.3 percent. Mercedes-Benz Group rose 2.8 percent, after beating analysts’ estimate for quarterly earnings, though the premium car maker warned of lower earnings this year amid economic uncertainty.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields eased a bit on Friday after the 10-year note hit a three-month high, as the market placed greater odds that the Federal Reserve keeps interest rates higher for longer in its fight against persistent inflation. The yield on 10-year Treasury notes was last at 3.826 percent after hitting its highest level since early November at 3.929 percent. Meanwhile, the yield on two-year notes was last at 4.623 percent after earlier reaching 4.677 percent, also the highest since early November.