Unease over the global economy engulfed commodities and dented Asian equities on Wednesday, while the euro loitered near nine-year lows as investors bet the European Central Bank was just a week away from launching a new stimulus campaign.

U.S. stocks ended down slightly in a volatile session on Tuesday, led by a drop in materials and energy shares following further weakness in commodity prices.

Investors had hoped that the biggest U.S. banks would boost dividend payments substantially in 2015, but recent events including slumping oil prices will make it harder for banks to pay out more.

North Dakota oil producer Oasis Petroleum welcomes having hedge fund SPO Partners & Co as its largest shareholder, Chief Executive Tommy Nusz said in an interview on Monday, commenting on a fund that has been a shareholder since Oasis went public in 2010.

The U.S. dollar took a dip on Monday as Asian investors caught up with a benign payrolls report and the subsequent slide in Treasury yields, though turnover was light with Tokyo on holiday.

Asian stocks gained on Friday on upbeat expectations for the closely-watched U.S. jobs data while the euro continued to probe fresh nine-year lows against the dollar.

U.S. stocks rallied for a second day on Thursday, boosted by expectations the U.S. economy will continue to improve and by hopes for more aggressive action from the European Central Bank.

Asian stocks rose on Thursday after upbeat U.S. employment data and a halt to a slide in oil tempered investor risk aversion, while the euro held near a nine-year low.

U.S. stocks rebounded on Wednesday from five straight sessions of losses after strong private sector jobs data and as minutes from the most recent Federal Reserve meeting reassured investors the bank was in no hurry to start raising interest rates.

The euro hit a nine-year trough on Wednesday as collapsing oil prices and worries about the world economy drove skittish investors into the arms of safe-haven sovereign debt.