In Asian Equity Markets indices fell on Thursday as investors remained cautious over the fast-spreading new coronavirus that has infected more than 81,000 people and killed over 2,700. Japanese stocks led losses among major markets in the region as the Nikkei 225 fell 2.11%. In South Korea, the Kospi traded down 0.79% as the Bank of Korea kept its policy rate unchanged. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index also saw declines of 0.66%. The Shanghai composite rose about 0.6% while the Shenzhen component was up 1.2%.

In Currency Markets the U.S. dollar held gains against the yen on Thursday as growing fears that a coronavirus outbreak is turning into a pandemic drove investors to the safety of U.S. Treasuries. The dollar also traded near a three-month high versus the pound due to worries Britain’s trade talks with the European Union were stalling and dashed expectations for big fiscal spending. The dollar was quoted at 110.36 yen, following a 0.2% gain in the previous session.

In Commodities Markets oil prices fell for a fifth day on Thursday to their lowest since January 2019 as a growing number of new coronavirus cases outside of China fuelled fears of a pandemic which could slow the global economy and lower crude demand. Brent crude was down 63 cents, or 1.2%, at $52.80 a barrel. The contract earlier fell to as low as $52.57, the lowest since Jan. 2, 2019. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures fell by 65 cents, or 1.3%, to $48.08 a barrel. It earlier fell to as low as $47.84, the lowest since Jan. 4, 2019.

In US Equity Markets stocks lost ground with the S&P falling to session lows in a volatile session on investor jitters on Wednesday over the prospect of coronavirus cases in New York after officials said they were monitoring 83 people who visited China. The S&P 500 lost 0.30%, to 3,118.75 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.03%, to 8,968.71. Of the S&P’s 11 major sectors energy was the biggest laggard with an almost 3% decline, while technology was its outperformer with a 0.4% gain.

In Bond Markets U.S. bonds steadied on Wednesday after a volatile trading session that saw the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield hit a record low for a second consecutive day, as investors focused on the economic risks of the spreading coronavirus epidemic. The 10-year yield was up less than a basis point at 1.3354%, after reaching as high as 1.3821% earlier and touching an all-time low of 1.3005%. The two-year U.S. Treasury yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations, was down 2.8 basis points at 1.1627%