Asia Mixed, Europe Markets Gain; Gold Softens On Easing Tensions - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Tuesday, April 29, U.S. markets closed higher as investors weighed strong corporate earnings, evolving U.S.-China tariff developments, and growing recession concerns.

The Dow led the gains, while oil and gold prices declined. Canada pushed back against Trump's trade stance, and China eased certain tariffs. Market sentiment remained sensitive to political shifts, with upcoming earnings from major AI-focused tech firms and weak U.S. consumer data in focus.

On the economic front, U.S. job openings fell to 7.19 million in March, missing expectations. Wholesale inventories rose 0.5% to $908 billion, suggesting stronger stockpiling. Meanwhile, the goods trade deficit widened sharply to $162 billion, exceeding forecasts and indicating increased import demand.

Most S&P 500 sectors closed higher, led by financials, materials, and consumer staples. Energy stocks lagged, closing lower and diverging from the broader market trend.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.75% to 40,527.62, the S&P 500 gained 0.58% to 5,560.83, and the Nasdaq climbed 0.55% to 17,461.32.

Asia Markets Today

• On Wednesday. Japan's Nikkei 225 closed higher by 0.57% at 36,043.50, led by gains in the Real Estate, Banking, and Textile sectors.     
• Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.69%, ending the session at 8,126.20, led by gains in the IT, A-REITs, and Consumer Discretionary sectors.
• India's Nifty 50 was down 0.31% at 24,261.00, and Nifty 500 slid 0.63  % to 21,973.55.
• China's Shanghai Composite slid 0.23% to 3,279.03, and Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 was down 0.12% at 3,770.57.
• Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed 0.51% higher at 22,119.41.

Eurozone at 05:45 AM ET

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• The European STOXX 50 index was up 0.24%.
• Germany's DAX index gained 0.51%.
• France's CAC 40 rose 0.55%.
• U.K.'s FTSE 100 index traded higher by 0.13%.

Commodities at 05:45 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading lower by 0.58% at $60.05/bbl, and Brent was down 0.57% at $62.92/bbl.
• Oil prices extended losses, with Brent and WTI on track for their steepest monthly drops since late 2021. Weighed by trade war fears, weak demand outlook, rising supply from OPEC+, and growing U.S. inventories, crude markets remain under pressure despite efforts to ease auto tariff impacts.
• Natural Gas fell 0.74% to $3.361.
• Gold was trading lower by 1.47% at $3,285.25, Silver was down 3.31% to $32.175, and Copper fell 4.63% to $4.6457.
• Gold prices slipped Wednesday as easing U.S. auto tariffs and trade optimism pressured safe-haven demand.

U.S. Futures at 05:45 AM ET

Dow futures were up 0.05%, S&P 500 futures declined 0.13%, and Nasdaq 100 futures slid 0.27%.

Forex at 05:45 AM ET

• The U.S. Dollar Index rose 0.23% to 99.44, USD/JPY was up 0.56% to 143.06, and USD/AUD fell 0.18% to 1.5638.
• The dollar firmed slightly Wednesday but was still heading for its weakest month since November 2022, as investors fled U.S. assets amid tariff fears.

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