Asia And Europe Markets Mixed, Crude Oil Dips - Global Market Overview While The US Slept

On Friday, February 16th, U.S. stock markets closed in the red, with a higher-than-expected rise in producer prices diminishing hopes for imminent Federal Reserve interest rate reductions.

In economic data, U.S. producer prices in January saw a 0.3% increase, the highest in five months, surpassing analysts’ 0.1% expectation and reversing a 0.1% drop from the prior month. Meanwhile, the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index edged up to 79.6 in February from 79 in January.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined by 0.37%, closing at 38,627.99, the S&P 500 fell 0.48% to reach 5,005.57, and the Nasdaq Composite was down 0.82%, concluding the trading day at 15,775.65.

On Monday, the U.S. markets were closed for Washington Day.

Asian Markets Today

• On Tuesday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index closed the session lower by 0.10% at 38,363.61, led by losses in the Transportation Equipment, Precision Instruments, and Electrical/Machinery sectors.
• In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.09% and closed at 7,659.00, led by losses in the Metals & Mining, Resources and Materials sectors.
• India’s Nifty 50 closed higher by 0.34% at 22,196.95, and the Nifty 500 rose 0.15 to 20,271.90. 
• China’s Shanghai Composite rose 0.42% to 2,922.73, while the Shenzhen CSI 300 gained 0.21%, closing at 3,410.85.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 0.57%, concluding the day at 16,247.51.

Eurozone at 06:15 AM ET

• The European STOXX 600 index was down 0.13%.
• Germany’s DAX slipped 0.27%.
• France’s CAC rose 0.23%.
• U.K’s FTSE 100 traded higher by 0.06%.

Commodities at 06:15 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading lower by 1.02% at $77.66/bbl, and Brent was down 0.85% at $82.86/bbl.
• Natural Gas climbed 3.42% to $1.664
• Gold was trading higher by 0.63% at $2,036.75, Silver fell 1.58% to $23.105, while Copper declined 0.34% to $3.8255.

US Futures at 06:15 AM ET       

Dow futures were down 0.36%, S&P 500 futures slid 0.43%, and Nasdaq 100 Futures fell 0.65%.

Forex at 06:15 AM ET

The U.S. Dollar Index was down 0.12% to 104.17, USD/JPY climbed 0.06% to 150.20, and AUD/USD slid 0.21% to 1.5256.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash