China Weighs Asia Index Lower, Europe Rises, While Crude Oil Hovers Around $73 - Global Markets Today While US Was Sleeping

On Friday, January 19th, U.S. stock markets closed with the S&P 500 index touching a historic peak, influenced by expectations of lower interest rates and stable growth.

Most sectors in the S&P 500 ended positively, led by significant gains in information technology, financials, and communication services, while utilities and consumer staples sectors closed lower.

In economic data, U.S. existing-home sales dropped 1.0% to a decade-low of 3.78 million units in December, below expectations of 3.82 million. Meanwhile, the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment rose to an 18-month high of 78.8 in January, surpassing expectations of 70.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.05%, closing at 37,863.80, the S&P 500 rose 1.23% to 4,839.81, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.70%, ending the session at 15,310.97.

Asian Markets Today

• On Monday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index closed the session higher by 1.62% at 36,546.95, led by gains in the Precision Instruments, Electrical/Machinery, and Machinery sectors.
• Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.75%, closed at 7,476.60, led by gains in the Consumer Discretionary, Consumer Staples and Financials sectors.
• India markets were closed.
• China’s Shanghai Composite declined 2.68% to 2,756.34, while the Shenzhen CSI 300 slid 1.56%, closing at 3,218.90.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was down 2.27%, concluding the day at 14,961.18.

Eurozone at 06:00 AM ET

• The European STOXX 600 index was up 0.46%.
• Germany’s DAX gained 0.43%.
• France’s CAC rose by 0.44%.
• The UK’s FTSE 100 traded higher by 0.10%.

Commodities at 06:00 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 0.20% at $73.40/bbl, and Brent was up 0.13% at $78.65/bbl.
• Natural Gas declined 4.44% to $2.152.
• Gold was trading lower by 0.25% at $2,024.25, Silver declined by 2.05% to $22.247, while Copper was down 0.77% to $3.7372.

US Futures at 06:00 AM ET       

Dow futures were up 0.11%, S&P 500 futures increased 0.28%, while Nasdaq 100 Futures rose 0.55%.

Forex at 06:00 AM ET

The U.S. Dollar Index fell 0.02% to 103.27, USD/JPY declined 0.12% to 147.95, and AUD/USD gained 0.03% to 1.5168.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash