In Asian Equity Markets Japan’s Nikkei index fell to a two-week low on Tuesday morning after global stocks fell and a stronger yen hurt overall sentiment, while Toyota Motor underperformed the market following a worse-than-expected earnings forecast. The Nikkei lost 0.7 percent to 18,844.68 in midmorning trade, after falling to as low as 18,805.32, the lowest level since Jan 24. The broader Topix fell 0.4 percent to 1,514.57 and the JPX-Nikkei Index 400 shed 0.3 percent to 13,576.05. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific stocks outside Japan eased 0.15 percent. Chinese stocks were little changed, ahead of data expected to show that foreign exchange reserves fell for the seventh straight month by about $10.5 billion to $3 trillion in January.

In Currency Markets the yen held large gains against a number of peers on Tuesday as investors sought refuge in the safe-haven Japanese currency amid a latest rise in European political concerns. The dollar traded at 111.930 yen after falling to 111.590, its lowest since Nov. 28. The euro fetched 119.910 yen following a fall earlier to a two-month low of 119.750. The euro extended overnight losses and was down 0.3 percent at $1.0725 in reach of a one-week low of $1.0713 set the previous day. The Australian dollar pared earlier modest losses and inched up 0.1 percent to $0.7668 after the Reserve Bank of Australia left interest rates unchanged and gave a somewhat upbeat assessment of the economy.

In Commodities Markets oil firmed on Tuesday after falls the previous session, with markets torn between mixed price indicators that have kept crude range-bound for much of the year. Brent crude futures were trading at $55.92 per barrel, up 20 cents from the last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 16 cents at $53.17 a barrel. Spot gold was down 0.26 percent at $1,232.26 per ounce. U.S. gold futures rose 0.17 percent to $1,234.2. Among other metals, silver fell as much as 0.2 percent to $17.69. Platinum fell as much as 0.2 percent to $1,008.85, after hitting its highest since Nov.9 at $1,015.20 early in the day. Palladium lost up to 0.4 percent to $768.97.

In US Equity Markets stocks were down on Monday, led by the energy sector as oil prices fell, while investors awaited the next run of major earnings reports and sought further clarity on President Donald Trump’s economic policies. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.09 percent, to 20,052.42, the S&P 500 lost 0.21 percent, to 2,292.56 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.06 percent, to 5,663.55. In earnings news, Hasbro shares jumped 14.1 percent after the No. 2 U.S. toymaker reported record holiday-quarter revenue. Tyson Food fell 3.5 percent. The company disclosed it had received a subpoena from U.S. authorities that it said likely stemmed from allegations the company conspired to fix chicken prices.

In Bond Markets benchmark Japanese government bonds edged higher on Tuesday, shrugging off tepid demand at an auction of inflation-linked 10-year bonds, as investors continued to puzzle over the Bank of Japan’s stance on JGB purchases. The 10-year JGB yield was down half a basis point (bp) at 0.095 percent, well below a one-year high of 0.150 percent notched on Friday, while 10-year JGB futures finished up 0.11 point at 149.66. On Tuesday, the 20-year yield and the 30-year JGB yield were both flat at 0.715 percent and 0.900 percent respectively, ahead of a 30-year auction on Thursday.

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