Asia Markets Mixed, Europe Stumbles, Crude Gains And Gold Stays Above $1,950 - Global Markets Today While US Was Sleeping

On Tuesday, October 17, the U.S. stock markets closed mixed, reflecting strong economic data and robust Q3 earnings, hinting at a prolonged tight monetary policy by the Federal Reserve.

U.S. retail sales increased by 0.7% in September, surpassing estimates of a 0.3% rise, while U.S. industrial production saw a 0.3% monthly gain in September, exceeding market expectations.

Most S&P 500 sectors closed positively, led by materials and energy stocks. However, the technology and real estate sectors closed lower.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 0.04% to 33,997.65, the S&P 500 inched lower by 0.01% to 4,373.20, while the Nasdaq Composite slid 0.25% to 13,533.75.

Asian Markets Today

• Japan's Nikkei 225 closed higher by 0.20% at 32,042.25 on Wednesday, driven by gains in the Mining, Chemical, Petroleum & Plastic and Steel sectors.
• Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was up by 0.30% and ended the session at 7 7,077.60, led by gains in the Energy, Gold, and Resources sectors.
• China's Shanghai Composite declined by 0.80% to end the session at 3,058.71, and the Shenzhen CSI 300 was down 0.79%, closing at 3,610.58.
• China's September data brought positive surprises, including faster-than-anticipated growth, declining unemployment, and a hint of increased consumption.
• China's economy expanded by 1.3% in the third quarter, surpassing market expectations of 1%.
• Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was up 0.09% and closed at 17,776.00.

Eurozone at 06:00 AM ET

• The European STOXX 600 index was down 0.32%.
• Germany's DAX declined 0.37%.
• France's CAC slid 0.26%.
• The U.K.'s FTSE 100 traded lower by 0.42%.

Commodities at 06:00 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 2.89% at $87.89/bbl, and Brent was up 2.79% at $92.42/bbl.
• Natural Gas declined 0.58% to $3.061.
• Gold was trading higher by 1.05% at $1,956.15, Silver rose 1.59% to $23.39, and Copper was up 0.94% to $3.6125.

US Futures at 06:00 AM ET

Dow futures were down 0.21%, S&P 500 futures declined 0.34%, while Nasdaq 100 futures slid by 0.49%.

Forex at 06:00 AM ET

The U.S. Dollar Index was down 0.05% to 106.19. USD/JPY declined 0.04% to 149.74, and AUD/USD slipped 0.11% to 1.5691.