In Economy
On Thursday , MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.1%. Asian Indices slipped after cautious comments from U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer dented some of the recent optimism toward Sino-U.S. trade relations.
Global equities scaled a four-month high earlier this week helped by upbeat expectations toward U.S.-China trade talks. On Wednesday, however, they dipped after Lighthizer said it was too early to predict an outcome in talks between Washington and Beijing.
As for tensions between India and Pakistan, it is a concern. But it remains a regional topic for the moment and the overall market impact has been limited thus far."
The conflict between India and Pakistan heated up after both said on Wednesday that they shot down each other's fighter aircraft.
In Currency Markets
The dollar index stood little changed at 96.085. The index had edged up 0.1% overnight, when it managed to pull away from a three-week trough as Treasury yields rose ahead of the U.S. fourth-quarter gross domestic report release.
The Dollar traded at 110.855 yen, having bounced back from a low of 110.355 brushed momentarily on Wednesday as tensions between India and Pakistan flared.
The euro was a shade higher at $.1.1380 after slipping 0.15% overnight.
The pound stood close to a near eight-month peak of $1.3351 reached the previous day. Sterling has rallied this week as investors ramped up bets that a no-deal Brexit was less likely and that Britain's departure from the European Union would be delayed.
The People's Bank of China set the yuan reference rate at 6.6901 vs the previous day's fix of 6.6857.
In Commodity Markets
U.S. crude oil futures were 0.07% higher at $56.98 per dollar, adding to gains from the previous day, when the contracts had surged 2.5%.
Crude rallied on Wednesday after U.S. inventories unexpectedly plummeted and as Saudi Arabia brushed aside comments from U.S. President Donald Trump seeking to keep oil prices from climbing.
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