In Asian Equity Markets indices lower Wednesday morning amid dampened expectations for a resolution to the U.S.-China trade war. Mainland Chinese stocks fell, with the Shanghai composite down 0.61%. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index fell 1.15% as shares of life insurer AIA fell 1.64%. The Nikkei 225 in Japan fell 0.92%, with shares of index heavyweight Fast Retailing declining 1.57%. South Korea’s Kospi traded 1.12% lower. Shares of Samsung Electronics fell 2.69% after the company reported a 56% declined in its second-quarter profit as compared to a year ago.

In Currency Markets the U.S. dollar held steady on Wednesday, largely in a wait-and-see mode as traders looked ahead to the outcome of the Federal Reserve’s meeting later in the day when policymakers are expected to cut interest rates for the first time since 2008. The greenback traded a shade lower at 108.530 yen and the euro inched up 0.05% to $1.1159. The Bank of Japan (BOJ) on Tuesday left policy settings steady though some suspect a move to further ease monetary conditions might not be far off.

In Commodities Markets oil prices rose for a fifth day on Wednesday, buoyed by a bigger than expected drop in U.S. inventories and as investors awaited a widely expected cut in interest rates by the Federal Reserve, the first in more than 10 years. Brent crude was up 33 cents, or 0.5%, at $65.05 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 gained 28 cents, or 0.5%, to $58.33 a barrel. For the month, however, both contracts were set to ease due to ongoing worries about oil demand, with Brent heading for a decline of about 2.3% and WTI down slightly.

In US Equity Markets indices lost ground on Tuesday after a warning from President Donald Trump to China amid ongoing trade negotiations pressured technology shares. The S&P 500 fell 0.26%, to 3,013.18 the Nasdaq Composite declined 0.24%, to 8,273.61. Pfizer Inc’s stock fell 6.4%, weighing the most on the healthcare index, after brokers downgraded the stock following the drug-maker’s announcement on Monday that it would spin off its Upjohn unit and merge it with Mylan.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields edged up on Tuesday on encouraging data as Federal Reserve policy-makers began meeting on whether to lower key lending rates for the first time in a decade to prolong the longest-ever U.S. economic expansion. The yield on benchmark 10-year government notes was up 1 basis point at 2.06%, bouncing within a 3.5 basis-point trading range. The benchmark 10-year yield has risen over 6 basis points this month after hitting 1.939% on July 3, which was its lowest level since November 2016.