In Asian Equity Markets both MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan and Japan’s Nikkei were little changed in early trade. The Hang Seng Index jumped 0.65%, with shares of property developers rising after the city’s leader Carrie Lam announced on Wednesday measures to ease a housing shortage and calm anti-government protests. Elsewhere in Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 inched up 0.16%, while the Topix was down by 0.23%. South Korea’s Kospi and Kosdaq were down by 0.11% and 0.28%.

In Currency Markets the dollar found support on Thursday having weakened on lacklustre U.S. retail data, while the volatile pound was on edge as Britain and the European Union scrambled to secure a last-minute Brexit deal. Sterling swung about a five-month high overnight, knocked around by a series of mixed headlines on the likelihood of progress at an EU leaders summit in Brussels later on Thursday. It has jumped some 5% since last week as negotiations stepped up, and sat in early Asian hours at $1.2816 per pound. The dollar was steady against most major currencies.

In Commodities Markets oil prices slid on Thursday after industry data showed a larger-than-expected build-up in stocks in the United States, adding to concerns that demand for oil around the world may weaken amid further signs of a global economic slowdown.Global benchmark Brent crude oil futures had fallen by 40 cents, or 0.7%, to $59.02 a barrel. U.S. crude oil futures were down by 46 cents, or 0.9%, to $52.90. U.S. crude inventories rose by 10.5 million barrels to 432.5 million barrels in the week to Oct. 11.

In US Equity Markets indices lost ground on Wednesday as weak U.S. economic data and simmering geopolitical tensions spooked buyers away from the equities market, despite a string of generally positive third-quarter earnings reports. The S&P 500 lost 0.20%, to 2,989.69 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.3%, to 8,124.18. In other stocks news, Eli Lilly & Co fell 1.6% in the wake of a late-stage study that showed its experimental pancreatic cancer treatment failed to meet the overall survival goal.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields fell on Wednesday after data showed that U.S. retail sales fell for the first time in seven months in September, adding to concerns that the U.S. economy is slowing. The Commerce Department said retail sales fell 0.3% last month, the first drop since February, as households cut spending on motor vehicles, building materials, hobbies and online purchases. Benchmark 10-year yields fell to 1.748%, after rising as high as 1.778% on Tuesday, the highest since Sept. 20.