Asia And Europe Markets Advance, Silver Rallies - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Wednesday, January 29th, U.S. markets closed lower, with tech shares weighing on the S&P 500. Nvidia and Microsoft declined after a tech selloff linked to Chinese AI competition. The Fed kept rates steady, softening its stance on inflation progress. Powell’s remarks reassured markets, but future rate cuts and economic policies remain uncertain.

In economic data, the U.S. trade deficit in goods rose to a record $122.11 billion in December, up from a revised $103.5 billion in November. Wholesale inventories dropped 0.5% to $898 billion, following a 0.1% decline the previous month, contrary to market expectations of a 0.2% increase.

Most S&P 500 sectors fell Wednesday, led by tech, real estate, and healthcare, while consumer staples and communication services gained.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.31% and closed at 44,713.52, the S&P 500 closed lower by 0.47% at 6,039.31, and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.51% to finish at 19,632.32.  

Aisa Markets Today

• On Thursday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed higher by 0.03% at 39,472.50, led by gains in the Communication, Electrical/Machinery, and Manufacturing sectors.
• Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.55% at 8,493.70, led by gains in the Energy, Consumer Discretionary and Consumer Staples sectors.
• India’s Nifty 50 closed higher by 0.58% at 23,296.85, and Nifty 500 rose 0.40%, closing at 21,331.25, led by gains in the Oil & Gas, Real Estate and Public Sector Undertakings sectors.
• China markets were closed for the Chinese New Year holiday.

Eurozone at 05:30 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 was up 0.66%.
• Germany’s DAX rose 0.39%.
• France’s CAC gained 0.46%.
• U.K.’s FTSE index 100 traded higher by 0.29%.

Commodities at 05:30 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading lower by 0.32% at $72.41/bbl, and Brent was down 0.33% at $75.36/bbl.
• Oil prices remained stable Thursday as markets awaited OPEC+ talks and reacted to Trump’s tariff threats on Canada and Mexico. U.S. crude stockpiles rose, while Russian exports declined due to sanctions.
• Natural Gas gained 0.79% to $3.195.
• Gold was trading higher by 0.81% at $2,816.19, Silver was up 2.15% to $32.068, and Copper rose 0.51% to $4.3055.

U.S. Futures at 05:30 AM ET

Dow futures were up 0.41%, S&P 500 futures gained 0.35% and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.46%.

Forex at 05:30 AM ET

The U.S. dollar index declined 0.01% to 107.96, the USD/JPY fell 0.46% to 154.45, and the USD/AUD rose 0.09% to 1.6059.

Photo by Pavel Bobrovskiy via Shutterstock