The capital markets are calm ahead of the weekend. Outside of Australia and Thailand, Asia Pacific equities advanced, while European shares are mostly little changed. The regional benchmarks, like the S&P 500 have recouped last week's losses. Benchmark 10-year yields are little changed on the day, leaving the US 10-year yield virtually unchanged on the week near 2.62%. The benchmark Japanese government bond yield has hovered around minus five basis points, while European bond yields were mostly a little higher, except for Italy, where the yield has eased around three basis points to 2.52%. The US dollar is softer ... (full story)