In Asian Equity Markets stocks posted declines on Wednesday trade after U.S. stocks fell sharply on the back of declines in technology names. The Nikkei 225 fell 1.7 percent in Tokyo, paring steeper losses of more than 2 percent seen earlier. Over in Seoul, the benchmark Kospi slid 1.35 percent as technology stocks mostly followed the lead from the overnight declines in U.S. tech. Samsung Electronics fell 2.48 percent, although SK Hynix reversed early losses to edge up by 0.37 percent. Automakers and manufacturing stocks bucked the broader fall to put in a mixed performance, with Kia Motors rising 2.99 percent and Samsung Heavy tacking on 0.25 percent.

In Currency Markets the US dollar stalled on Wednesday as global trade tensions remained elevated, with U.S. President Donald Trump discussing joining forces with Germany to counter China’s economic practices. The dollar index, which measures the greenback versus a group of six major currencies, fell 0.1 percent to 89.291. It had gained about 0.34 percent overnight, pulling away from a five-week low of 88.942. South Africa’s rand fell 0.25 percent to 11.65 per dollar with the South Africa Reserve Bank expected to loosen monetary policy later on Wednesday. The Australian dollar rose 0.3 percent to $0.7698 after falling more than 0.9 percent on Tuesday.

In Commodities Markets oil prices fell on Wednesday, with Brent fell back below $70 per barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell below $65, pulled down by a report of increasing U.S. crude inventories that surprised many traders. U.S. WTI crude futures were at $64.71 a barrel, down 54 cents, or 0.8 percent, from their previous settlement. Brent crude futures were at $69.65 per barrel, down 46 cents, or 0.7 percent. American Petroleum Institute (API) reported late on Tuesday a surprise 5.3 million barrels rise in crude sticks in the week to March 23, to 430.6 million barrels. Official U.S. inventory data will be published by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) late on Wednesday.

In US Equity Markets stocks closed sharply lower on Tuesday, erasing earlier gains, as a decline in the broader tech sector brought the major averages down. The Nasdaq composite fell 2.9 percent to 7,008.81 as shares of Apple and Amazon declined. The S&P 500 pulled back 1.7 percent 2,612.62. Facebook shares contributed to tech’s losses, as they fell 4.9 percent after Bank of America Merrill Lynch reduced its price target on the stock for the second time in five days. The cut comes as Facebook’s fallout from the data scandal continues. Twitter fell 12 percent after short-seller Andrew Left said he is betting against the stock.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields fell on Tuesday with 10-year yield hitting six-week lows as fund managers purchased bonds to re-balance their portfolios for quarter-end, offsetting sales to make room for the record high $294 billion in government debt this week. The U.S. Treasury Department sold $65 billion in one-month bills; $24 billion in one-year T-bills and $35 billion in five-year notes to average demand. The auctions on Monday and Tuesday were equivalent to 85 percent of the scheduled Treasuries supply this week. The yield on 10-year Treasury notes was down 5.9 basis points to 2.783 percent after touching its lowest level since Feb. 9.