Asia Markets Mixed, Europe Advances, Natural Gas Dips - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Thursday, January 16, U.S. markets ended lower as investors assessed corporate earnings and economic data, weighing the potential for slower Federal Reserve rate cuts. Strong bank results lifted sentiment, while resilient consumer spending and a firm labor market reinforced a cautious market outlook.

According to economic data, U.S. retail sales grew by 0.4% in December, down from a revised 0.8% in November and below the 0.6% forecast. Initial jobless claims rose by 14,000 to 217,000 for the week ending January 11, exceeding the 210,000 estimate.

Most S&P 500 sectors ended higher, led by utilities, real estate, and industrials, while information technology and communication services lagged, closing in the red.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.16% and closed at 43,153.13, the S&P 500 closed lower by 0.21% at 5,937.34, and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.89% to finish at 19,338.29.

Aisa Markets Today

• On Friday, Japan's Nikkei 225 closed lower by 0.41% at 38,438.00, led by losses in the Transport, Automobiles and parts, and Pharmaceutical Industries sectors.
• Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.20%, ending at 8,310.40, led by losses in the Financials, Telecoms Services, and A-REITs sectors.
• India's Nifty 50 closed lower by 0.47% at 23,203.10, and the Nifty 500 declined by 0.17%, closing at 21,678.30.
• China's Shanghai Composite gained 0.18% and closed at 3,241.82, and the Shenzhen CSI 300 rose 0.31%, finishing the day at 3,812.34.
• Hong Kong Hang Seng closed the session higher by 0.31% at 19,584.06.

Eurozone at 05:30 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 was up 0.64%.
• Germany's DAX rose 1.03%.
• France's CAC rose 0.88%.
• U.K.'s FTSE index 100 traded higher by 1.05%.

Commodities at 05:30 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 0.54% at $78.25/bbl, and Brent was up 0.37% at $81.58/bbl.
• Oil prices rose, heading for a fourth weekly gain, driven by U.S. sanctions on Russian energy, demand recovery expectations, and cold weather, despite easing tensions in Yemen and refinery data concerns.
• Natural Gas declined 2.94% to $4.134.
• Gold was trading lower by 0.75% at $2,730.41, Silver was down 1.46% to $31.270, and Copper rose 0.09% to $4.4452.

U.S. Futures at 05:30 AM ET

Dow futures were up 0.29%, S&P 500 futures rose 0.33% and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.42%.

Forex at 05:30 AM ET

• The U.S. Dollar Index rose 0.09% to 109.04, USD/JPY gained 0.24% to 155.69, and USD/AUD gained 0.11% to 1.6116.
• The dollar steadied but is set to end its six-week winning streak, pressured by expectations of U.S. rate cuts and Japan's potential rate hike.

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