In Asian Equity Markets indices fell on Thursday, following an overnight mixed session in the U.S. as renewed trade concerns offset strong gains in tech. In Australia, the benchmark ASX 200 declined 0.24 percent as the materials sub-index fell 1.29 percent. Major mining names declined, with shares of Rio Tinto lower by 3.61 percent, Fortescue Metals down 0.69 percent and BHP lost 1.84 percent. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was down 0.4 percent while the Topix index fell 0.17 percent. In South Korea, the Kospi was down 1.14 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index declined 1.59 percent.

In Currency Markets the U.S. dollar held onto most of its gains against major peers on Thursday after the Federal Reserve gave an upbeat assessment of the world’s biggest economy and stayed on course to gradually lift interest rates. The euro remained soft against the dollar, trading at $1.1662. The British pound was little changed at $1.3128 ahead of the Bank of England’s policy meeting later on Thursday, with markets widely expecting interest rates to be raised for the second time since the global financial crisis.

In Commodities Markets oil prices rose on Thursday, steadying after losses over the past two days from a surprise increase in U.S. crude inventories and renewed concerns over trade friction between the U.S. and China. Brent crude futures were up 40 cents, or 0.6 percent, at $72.79 a barrel, after falling 2.5 percent on Wednesday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures increased by 30 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $67.96 a barrel. They fell 1.6 percent in the previous session.

In US Equity Markets indices fell slightly on Wednesday as gains in Apple shares were offset by a decline in energy and industrial companies, while the U.S. Federal Reserve remained on course for an expected interest rate hike in September. The S&P 500 lost 0.10 percent, to 2,813.36 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.46 percent, to 7,707.29. Of the 11 major sectors of the S&P 500, eight ended the session in negative territory. Shares of Tesla Inc ended up in choppy trading after the bell following the electric automaker’s second-quarter earnings report.

In Bond Markets the benchmark Japanese government bond yields touched a fresh 1-1/2-year high on Thursday before easing as the market remained unstable in the wake of the central bank’s new commitment to allow yields to move more freely. The 10-year JGB yield stood unchanged at 0.125 percent after hitting 0.145 percent, its highest since February 2017. The rise by the benchmark yield slowed on Thursday as the market awaited the 2.2 trillion yen ($19.72 billion) 10-year JGB auction results for clues on investor appetite for debt following this week’s turbulence.