In Asian Equity Markets stocks edged higher on Monday ahead of a week packed with major quarterly earnings announcements though news of trials of a property tax in China weighed on Hong Kong and mainland Chinese markets. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.26 percent while Japan’s Nikkei lost 1 percent on softer earnings by several local companies. Australian stocks rose 0.47 percent, supported by miners, while South Korea was up 0.5 percent, though these gains were balanced by more muted moves in Greater China. The Hong Kong benchmark gained 0.18 percent.

In Currency Markets the dollar steadied on Monday after its steepest weekly loss in more than a month, as traders weigh the effect of inflation on the relative pace of looming rate hikes – with a wary eye on U.S. growth data and an ECB meeting. The dollar was firm at $1.1643 per euro and found a footing on the yen at 113.54 after Friday’s slide. The Australian and New Zealand dollars were held below the multi-month peaks they had scaled during last week. Sterling was up 0.1 percent at $1.3772, but analysts were cautious about further gains especially as the Fed edges closer to tapering and policy tightening.

In US Equity Markets the S&P 500 and Nasdaq were in the red on Friday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell discussed stimulus tapering while disappointing quarterly reports from Snap Inc and Intel Corp pushed the communications and technology sectors lower. The Dow rose 0.21 percent, to 35,677.02, the S&P 500 lost 0.11 percent, to 4,544.9 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.82 percent, to 15,090.20. The financial sector was helped, however, by strong gains in American Express Co, which rose 5.4 percent after it beat profit estimates for the fourth straight quarter.

In Commodities Markets gold prices more than halved their session gains on Friday after U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said he expected inflation to ease next year and that the U.S. central bank was on track to begin winding down its stimulus. Spot gold was up 0.6 percent at $1,793.82 per ounce. Silver rose 0.8 percent to $24.34 per ounce. Platinum fell 0.7 percent to $1,041.52 and palladium rose 0.6 percent to $2,029.18 per ounce. U.S. crude rose 0.57 percent to $82.97 per barrel and Brent was at $85.08, up 0.56 percent on the day.

In European Equity Markets stocks rose on Friday on a surge in technology stocks, strong earnings from France’s L’Oreal and a broad boost to sentiment provided by a surprise interest payment from debt-ridden China Evergrande Group. The STOXX 600 added 0.5 percent to close at over six-week highs and logged its third consecutive week of gains, up 0.5 percent. France’s blue-chip CAC 40 rose 0.7 percent and outperformed its European peers, riding on a 5.1 percent rise in L’Oreal shares following the cosmetics company’s strong results.

In Bond Markets yields on longer-dated U.S. Treasuries slid on Friday after the benchmark 10-year note breached 1.7 percent overnight, while key market gauges of rising consumer prices kept pressing higher on concerns about inflation. The yield on 10-year Treasury notes was down 1.6 basis points to 1.659 percent after rising to a five-month high of 1.7064 percent late Thursday. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was down 3.6 basis points to 2.092 percent. The break-even rate on five-year U.S. TIPS was last at 2.913 percent, after closing at 2.894 percent on Thursday, a year-high.