In European Equity Markets stocks edged ahead on Wednesday, helped by good earning updates, but bank stocks hit a five-week low on growing concerns over the region’s crowded election agenda this year. The STOXX 600 rose 0.3 percent after a volatile session that saw the pan-European index fall into negative territory at one point, weighed down by financial stocks which are seen as most sensitive to political uncertainty. French construction and concession company Vinci rose 4.7 8 percent after it hiked its dividend and forecast higher revenue for 2017 and more traffic on its French motorways. Spanish builder ACS rose 2.8 percent after its Australian unit Cimic said it expected a strong 2017 and posted an 11.5 percent rise in full-year profit.

In Currency Markets the dollar fell on Wednesday after two days of gains, pressured by the decline in U.S. Treasury yields as investors have priced out a March rate hike by the Federal Reserve amid uncertainty about President Donald Trump’s economic policies. In late morning trading, the dollar index fell 0.2 percent to 100.10, as the greenback slid 0.6 percent to 111.94 yen. The euro was down 0.3 percent against the yen at 119.69 yen, but rose 0.2 percent versus the dollar to $1.0702. Sterling was steady at $1.2513. The Australian and New Zealand dollars pushed higher, with Aussie up 0.25 percent at $0.7646 and with Kiwi gaining 0.25 percent to $0.7317.

In Commodities Markets oil prices slid on Wednesday, extending falls from the previous session, as a big increase in U.S. crude inventories and a fall in Chinese demand implied too much global supply despite OPEC-led efforts to cut output. International Brent crude futures were trading at $54.69 per barrel, down 36 cents from their previous close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $51.71 a barrel, down 46 cents. Crude inventories were up 13.8 million barrels in the week to Feb. 3, compared with expectations for an increase of 2.5 million barrels. Spot gold rose 0.7 percent to $1,241.70 per ounce, having earlier touched its highest since Nov. 11 at $1,244.67. Spot silver rose 0.4 percent to $17.80.

In US Equity Markets stocks were little changed late Wednesday morning as investors assessed a flood of quarterly earnings reports. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.13 percent, at 20,064.48; the S&P 500 was up 0.02 percent, at 2,293.67 and the Nasdaq Composite was up 0.08 percent, at 5,678.90. Healthcare was off 0.22 percent, dragged down by Gilead. The drugmaker’s stock was down 9.3 percent after the company projected disappointing sales for its hepatitis C drugs this year. Cognizant rose 3.9 percent after the IT services provider named three directors to its board and announced a $3.4 billion share buyback program, bowing to pressure from activist shareholder Elliott Management.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields fell to their lowest levels in multiple weeks on Wednesday with 5-year note yields hitting their lowest since Dec. 8 as a flight to safety and technical positioning encouraged investors to buy U.S. government debt. The 10-year note was last up 11/32 in price to yield 2.349 percent, down 4 basis points from its late Tuesday levels. France’s 10-year bond yield was down 9 basis points at 1.01 percent, narrowing the gap over German peers to around 71 bps from 79 bps hit in early trade, which was the highest since November 2012. Germany’s benchmark 10-year Bund yield fell 6 basis points to a low of 0.29 percent, mirroring falls in U.S. and British bond yields.