Gasoline Market Update

April gasoline RBJ5, +1.21%  settled up 3.7 cents, or 2%, at $1.837 a gallon.

April heating oil HOJ5, +1.61%  added 2.2 cents, or 1.3%, to $1.728 a gallon.

May silver SIK5, +0.09%  rose 2 cents, or 0.1%, to settle at $17 an ounce.

Oil ends at more than 2-week high on Middle East turmoil

Oil futures settled above $49 a barrel on Wednesday, at their highest level in more than two weeks, with turmoil in Yemen raising concerns over crude supplies in the Middle East.

crude for delivery in May CLK5, +3.54%  settled at $49.21 a barrel, up $1.70, or 3.6%. Prices had been trading around $48.23 shortly before the supply data, pared gains after it, then spiked higher just over an hour before the scheduled close of trading on Nymex. The settlement was the highest for a front-month contract since March 9.

May Brent crude LCOK5, +2.64%  on London’s ICE Futures exchange rallied $1.37, or 2.5%, to $56.48 a barrel.

Gold nears $1,200 in 6-day winning streak

Gold futures rebounded from early weakness and posted a sixth straight winning session on Wednesday after an unexpected drop in February durable-goods orders.

Gold for April delivery GCJ5, +0.16%  rose $5.60, or 0.5%, to close at $1,197 an ounce on Comex after tapping an intraday high of $1,199.30. The close was the highest since March 4.

Current Market Update

Here are the latest trading levels for Asia's major stock markets: 

Tokyo (Nikkei Average NIK, -1.25% ) down 1.3% 

 Hong Kong (Hang Seng Index HSI, +0.14% ) up 0.1% 

 Shanghai (Shanghai Composite Index SHCOMP, +0.33% ) up 0.3% (at break) 

 Sydney (S&P/ASX 200 XJO, -1.20% ) down 1.1% 

 Seoul (Kospi SEU, -0.65% ) down 0.5% 

 Mumbai (Sensex 1, -0.71% ) down 0.6% 

 Taipei (Taiex Y9999, -0.70% ) down 0.7%

Asian Market Update

Asian markets wound back on Thursday, in line with a hefty sell-off on Wall Street, after surprisingly weak US data hinted at ongoing weakness in the world's number one economy.

The euro maintained its recent strength against the dollar and yen, boosted by receding expectations of an early US rate hike and upbeat indicators out of the eurozone.

Oil prices also enjoyed support from concerns about unrest in the crude-rich Middle East following news that Saudi Arabian jets had struck rebel positions in neighbouring Yemen.

In early trade Tokyo sank 1.56 per cent from a 15-year high, while Sydney lost 1.30 per cent, Seoul shed 0.74 per cent, Hong Kong shed 0.30 per cent and Shanghai slipped 0.55 per cent.