In Asian Equity Markets Japan stocks were higher after the close on Monday, as gains in the Transport, Mining and Chemical, Petroleum & Plastic sectors led shares higher. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 gained 1.33 percent to hit a new 1-month high. Australian shares inched higher on Monday to their highest in nearly nine months. The S&P/ASX 200 index rose 0.1 percent to 7,458.00. New Zealand’s benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index fell 0.1 percent to 11,963.57, starting the week on a subdued note after three straight weeks of gains.

In Currency Markets the euro scaled a nine-month high on the dollar on Monday as more hawkish comments on European interest rates contrasted with market pricing for a less aggressive Federal Reserve. The euro reached as far as $1.0903 , breaking the recent peak of $1.08875 and opening the way to a spike top from last April at $1.0936. The pound was up at $1.2420 and within striking distance of last week’s top of $1.2435. For now, the dollar was holding at 129.59 yen , following last week’s wild gyrations between 127.22 and 131.58.

In US Equity Markets stocks rose on Friday, as the S&P 500 and Dow snapped a three-session losing streak and the Nasdaq rose more than 2 percent, as quarterly earnings helped lift Netflix, while Google parent Alphabet climbed after announcing job cuts. The Dow rose 1 percent, to 33,375.49, the S&P 500 gained 1.89 percent, to 3,972.61 and the Nasdaq Composite added 2.66 percent, to 11,140.43. Shares of Netflix Inc jumped 8.46 percent as the streaming company added more subscribers than expected in the fourth quarter and said co-founder Reed Hastings was stepping down as chief executive.

In Commodities Markets oil settled up about $1 a barrel on Friday and notched a second straight weekly gain as China’s economic prospects brightened, boosting expectations for fuel demand in the world’s second-biggest economy. Brent crude settled at $87.63 a barrel, up 1.7 percent. U.S. crude settled at $81.31 a barrel, gaining 1.2 percent. Spot gold fell 0.2 percent to $1,928.06 per ounce. Elsewhere, silver rose 0.3 percent to $23.90 per ounce. Platinum gained 0.8 percent to $1,040.50, while palladium fell 1.7 percent to $1,725.04, with both metals en route to a second consecutive weekly fall.

In European Equity Markets stocks closed higher on Friday but marked weekly losses as investors took a cautious view of the earnings season and the upcoming central bank decisions, although China’s reopening from COVID-19 lockdowns offered some relief. The pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.4 percent, lifted by travel & leisure and retail stocks. China-exposed luxury stocks such as LVMH and Hermes International rose about 0.8 percent each. Meanwhile, Sandvik gained 4.8 percent following better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields rose on Friday as investors considered whether the Federal Reserve is likely to keep raising rates as far as it has indicated, and as investors bet that a recent bond rally was overdone in the short-term. Benchmark 10-year yields were last at 3.482 percent, after falling to 3.321 percent on Thursday, the lowest since Sept. 13. Two-year yields were last 4.183 percent, after reaching 4.041 percent on Thursday, the lowest since Oct. 4.