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Market Review

US: All three major U.S. stock indexes finished lower on Wednesday as the prospect of higher-for-longer interest rates weighed on investors, handing the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite their longest streak of losses in more than three months.

Asia: Most Asian stocks recovered from recent losses on Thursday, shrugging off a weak lead-in from Wall Street as investors bet on a strong earnings report from top chipmaker TSMC to spur a rally in technology.

India: India's benchmark stock indices extended losses for the third consecutive session on Tuesday as geopolitical concerns weighed on investor sentiment. The indices were dragged by banks and information technology stocks. Market is expected to open on flattish note and likely to witness sideways move during the day.

Global Economy: Britain's inflation rate slowed by less than expected in March, according to official figures published on Wednesday, adding to signs that a first interest rate cut by the Bank of England could be further off than previously thought. British consumer prices rose by an annual 3.2%, down from a 3.4% increase in February and its lowest in two and a half years, the Office for National Statistics said. But the BoE - which has an inflation target of 2% - and economists polled by Reuters had forecast 3.1%. Investors reduced their bets on BoE rate cuts and sterling rose. The slowdown in the fall in Britain's inflation rate follows an acceleration of headline price growth in the United States which rose for a second month in a row to 3.5% in March. Australian employment fell in March after an enormous gain the month before while the jobless rate resumed its uptrend, a sign that the hot labour market was still on track to loosen from here. Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday showed net employment dropped 6,600 in March from February, when it rose a revised 117,600. Market forecasts had been for a small gain of 10,000 after a blockbuster February. Full-time employment rose 27,900 in March. The jobless rate climbed slightly to 3.8% from 3.7% the previous month, although that was under a forecast of 3.9%.

Commodities Gold prices climbed on Thursday as concerns about the Middle East war extending to other regions boosted demand for the safe-haven metal. Oil prices rose in early trade on Thursday, slightly paring the previous session's losses after the United States said it would reinstate oil sanctions Venezuela, while the European Union talked of fresh curbs on Iran.

Currency The dollar was soft on Thursday as traders assessed the U.S. interest rates outlook in the wake of comments from Federal Reserve officials that cemented expectation of monetary settings remaining restrictive for a while longer.

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