In Asian Equity Markets stocks jumped on Monday, as data showed that the country’s industrial output and retail sales rose more than expected in November. The Shanghai composite rose 0.29%.  Shenzhen’s Nasdaq-style start-up board ChiNext bounced 1.54%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index, however, was down 0.39%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 jumped 1.63%, led by banks and major miners. But Japan’s Nikkei 225 edged down 0.15% after a strong rally on Friday, and the Topix index was flat. Autos fell, reversing gains they made last week on the back of Brexit optimism. Over in South Korea, the Kospi was flat.

In Currency Markets the U.S. dollar fell on Wednesday to a four-month low against a basket of currencies after the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady and Fed Chair Jerome Powell said a significant, persistent inflation rise would be needed to hike rates. The Fed left the benchmark overnight lending rate in its 1.50% to 1.75% target range, and the U.S. central bank’s rate-setting committee said after its two-day policy meeting that it expects moderate economic growth and low unemployment through next year’s presidential election. The euro was 0.4% higher ahead of new ECB boss Christine Lagarde’s first policy meeting on Thursday. Investors will scrutinize her every word.

In Commodities Markets oil prices on Monday slid off near three-month highs hit last week as investors searched for clarity beyond the initial impact of a trade deal between the United States and China that’s expected to boost flows between the top two global economies. Brent crude oil futures fell 22 cents, or 0.3% to $65.00 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate crude was down 23 cents or 0.4% to $59.84 a barrel. Brent has rallied this year, supported by efforts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies including Russia to cut production.

In US Equity Markets the S&P 500 and the Dow industrials ended little changed on Friday, hitting record highs in the session, as the United States and China announced an initial trade agreement, cooling tensions that have rattled markets. The S&P 500 gained0.01%, to 3,168.8 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.2%, to 8,734.88. The S&P 500 technology sector and the tech-heavy Nasdaq finished solidly in positive territory, with gains in Apple Inc providing a boost. In company news, Adobe Inc shares rose 3.9% after it beat Wall Street estimates for fourth-quarter revenue and profit. Broadcom Inc shares fell 3.8% after the company provided a lukewarm revenue forecast for 2020.

In Bond Markets Japanese government bonds were little changed on Monday as investors refrained from taking big positions before an auction of 20-year debt on Tuesday and a Bank of Japan (BOJ) meeting ending on Thursday. The auction will be closely watched to gauge demand for longer-dated bonds, which will help determine the direction of yields in the coming weeks. Benchmark 10-year JGB futures fell 0.01 point to 152.27, with a trading volume of 10,257 lots. The 10-year JGB yield was flat at minus 0.025%, while the 20-year JGB yield fell 1 basis point to 0.280%.