In Asian Equity Markets the Nikkei 225 was up by 0.75 percent at the open before rising to a more than three-month high. The index settled to trade 0.2 percent up, with most major sectors gaining. Down Under, the ASX 200 was up by 0.17 percent, with the telecommunications sector rising 3.49 percent. The moves come after Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia) announced that a “proposed merger of equals” had been agreed upon between TPG Telecom and Vodafone Hutchison Australia. Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia) has a 50 percent interest in Vodafone Hutchison Australia.

In Currency Markets the British pound held firm in early Asian trade on Thursday, after making its biggest gains in seven months the previous day, following comments from the European Union’s chief negotiator offering Britain close ties after Brexit. The pound jumped as fears that Britain could go through a hard Brexit eased after Michel Barnier signalled an accommodative stance towards London in ongoing talks. Sterling rose to a four-week high of $1.3039, extending its gains after gaining more than 1.2 percent overnight, the largest daily gain since Jan. 24. The euro was steady at $1.1706 after edging up 0.1 percent the previous day.

In Commodities Markets oil prices inched up on Thursday, extending solid gains from the previous session on a fall in U.S. crude inventories and expected disruptions to supply from Iran and Venezuela. International Brent crude oil futures were at $77.21 per barrel, up 7 cents from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 14 cents at $69.65 a barrel. The rises came after crude hit multi-week highs during the previous session. U.S. commercial crude inventories fell by 2.6 million barrels in the week to Aug. 24, to 405.79 million barrels. U.S. production was flat from the previous week’s record 11 million barrels per day (bpd).

In US Equity Markets indices extended their rally on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq hitting record highs for the fourth straight session as technology companies pushed indexes higher and promising trade negotiations stoked investor sentiment. Apple Inc led the technology sector’s advance, and the iPhone maker’s shares hit an all-time closing high. Amazon’s stock gained 3.4 percent, leading the consumer discretionary sector’s advance, as the company edged closer to becoming the second U.S. company, after Apple, to reach $1 trillion in market value. The S&P 500 gained 0.57 percent, to 2,914.04 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.99 percent, to 8,109.69.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields were little changed on Wednesday as an overnight decline in longer-dated yields and a flattening of the yield curve were mostly reversed by an upward revision of U.S. second-quarter gross domestic product. The yield on the U.S. benchmark 10-year Treasury note was down half a basis point from Tuesday’s close, last at 2.879. The 30-year bond yield was down 1.5 basis points, last at 3.018 percent. The two-year note yield was up 0.8 basis points, last at 2.673 percent. The spread between two- and 10-year yields was down less than a basis point at 20.6 basis points.