In Asian Equity Markets indices were largely positive on Friday, amid gains in Japan’s Nikkei 225 which saw its highest intra-day level in almost 27 years. Down Under, the ASX 200 also pared some of its gains but remained up by 0.37 percent during afternoon trade, with most sectors still seeing gains. Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s share price, which was in decline for much of the trading week, saw gains of 0.49 percent on Friday afternoon. Over in South Korea, however, the Kospi fell by 0.47 percent, with industry heavyweight Samsung Electronics falling by 2 percent.

In Currency Markets the dollar was in fine fettle against its peers on Friday, advancing to a nine-month high versus the yen, after data reinforced upbeat views about the U.S. economy and backed the Federal Reserve’s signal for a steady course of rate increases over the next year. The dollar traded at 113.50 yen after gaining roughly 0.6 percent overnight to 113.64, its highest since December 2017. The euro nudged up 0.07 percent to $1.1648 after falling almost 0.9 percent overnight. The single currency was hit by concerns around heavily-indebted Italy’s handling of its budget.

In Commodities Markets oil prices inched up on Friday, with investors trying to gauge the potential impact on supply from looming U.S. sanctions on Iran’s crude exports. U.S futures were up 21 cents, or 0.29 percent, at $72.33 per barrel, on track for a weekly gain. The sanctions kick in on Nov. 4, with Washington asking buyers of Iranian oil to cut imports to zero to force Tehran to negotiate a new nuclear agreement and to curb its influence in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is expected to quietly add extra oil to the market over the next couple of months to offset the cut.

In US Equity Markets rose on Thursday, helped by gains in Apple, Alphabet and Facebook, as well as the U.S. Federal Reserve’s confidence in the strength of the economy after it raised rates for the third time this year. The S&P 500 gained 8.1 0.28 percent, to 2,914.07 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.65 percent, to 8,041.97. Conagra fell 6.7 percent after its quarterly revenue missed analysts’ estimates. Other food companies also fell, with Kellogg, JM Smucker and Campbell Soup shedding about 2 percent.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yield curve moved to its flattest level in over a week on Thursday, led by a fall in longer-dated yields, despite weak demand at a $31 billion auction of seven-year government notes. The yield curve flattened further in the wake of the Federal Reserve’s signal on Wednesday that it would raise overnight borrowing costs further into 2020 even as it projected inflation may slip by that time. Two-year yields gained 0.8 basis point to 2.835 percent after touching 2.847 percent on Tuesday, which was last seen in June 2008.