| US equities demonstrated muted performance at the close of trading on Thursday, pressured by escalating crude oil prices, sustained elevated levels in US Treasury yields, and commentary from several Federal Reserve officials signaling a restrictive monetary policy stance. Investors monitored Chinese President Xi Jinping's US state visit, the first since 2015. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.3%, while the technology-focused Nasdaq Composite registered a negligible change. The S&P 500 also experienced a slight decrease. Concurrently, the bond market continued to exhibit signs of selling pressure; the 10 year yield reached 5.20%, a level unseen since July 2007. |