In Asian Equity Markets carved out moderate gains in Thursday trade. The Nikkei 225 edged higher by 0.43 percent in the morning. The mining sector led gains in early trade, rising 3.75 percent, but consumer stocks traded lower. Banks, steelmakers and semiconductor industry plays climbed, with Advantest rising 3.93 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index climbed 0.64 percent as financials and energy stocks led the morning’s gains. On the mainland, the Shanghai composite rose 0.5 percent after four consecutive sessions of losses.

In Currency Markets the US dollar held firm against the yen and other major currencies on Thursday, supported by bullish comments from the U.S. Federal Reserve chairman, which affirmed expectations about the central bank’s possible interest rate moves this year. The dollar was down 0.1 percent at 112.71 yen early on Thursday after going as high as 113.14 yen in the previous session, its highest since Jan. 9. The Chinese yuan rose 0.1 percent to 6.7392 per dollar in offshore trading after falling to a nearly one-year low of 6.7580 the previous day.

In Commodities Markets oil prices on Wednesday extended gains from the previous session, buoyed after official data showed that U.S. inventories of gasoline, diesel and heating oil unexpectedly fell last week. Brent crude futures had risen 8 cents, or 0.1 percent, to $72.98. They climbed 1 percent on Wednesday after initially falling to the lowest in three months following the release of official production and stockpile data, which also showed a surprise build in U.S. crude inventories. WTI crude futures climbed 20 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $68.96.

In US Equity Markets the S&P 500 rose to its highest in more than five months and the Dow climbed for a fifth session on Wednesday as solid earnings boosted financial and industrial stocks. The Dow Transport index  jumped 2.3 percent, its biggest daily advance in three months. The S&P 500 gained 0.22 percent, to 2,815.62 and the Nasdaq Composite ended flat at 7,854.44. Berkshire Hathaway led the financial sector higher, rising 5.3 percent on news that the company eliminated a restriction on its ability to buy back its own stock.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields were little changed on Wednesday with the yield curve remaining near its flattest in nearly 11 years as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell stayed on message about a healthy economy before a U.S. House of Representatives committee. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note was up nearly 1 basis point on the day at 2.871 percent. The spread between two-year and 10-year Treasury yields was 25.80 basis points after touching 23.40 earlier Wednesday, its tightest since July 2007.