Asia And Europe Markets Mixed, Crude Oil Hovers Around $77 - Global Market Overview While The US Slept

On Tuesday, February 20th, U.S. stock markets closed in the red, primarily driven by a decline in Nvidia’s NVDA shares ahead of its highly anticipated earnings report.

Related: Nvidia’s Upcoming Earnings to Set Tone for AI Investment Rush, Wall Street Analysts Say

In economic data, the Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index experienced a decrease of 0.4% in January, compared to the anticipated market forecast of a 0.3% drop.

The majority of sectors within the S&P 500 closed in the red, with the consumer discretionary, energy, and technology sectors experiencing the most significant drops. In contrast, consumer staples stocks managed to close the session on a positive note.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined by 0.17%, closing at 38,563.80, the S&P 500 fell 0.60% to reach 4,975.51, and the Nasdaq Composite was down 0.92%, concluding the trading day at 15,630.78.

Asian Markets Today

• On Wednesday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index closed the session lower by 0.17% at 38,300.00, led by losses in the Insurance, Paper & Pulp, and Finance & Investment sectors.
• In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.66% and closed at 7,608.40, led by losses in the Consumer Staples, Metals & Mining and Resources sectors.
• India’s Nifty 50 closed lower by 0.64% at 22,055.05, and the Nifty 500 slid 0.71% to 20,128.30. 
• China’s Shanghai Composite rose 0.97% to 2,950.96, while the Shenzhen CSI 300 gained 1.35%, closing at 3,456.87.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 1.57%, concluding the day at 16,503.10.

Eurozone at 06:30 AM ET

• The European STOXX 600 index was down 0.17%.
• Germany’s DAX gained 0.42%.
• France’s CAC rose 0.16%.
• U.K’s FTSE 100 traded lower by 0.80%.

Commodities at 06:30 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading lower by 0.66% at $76.53/bbl, and Brent was down 0.61% at $81.83/bbl.
• Natural Gas climbed 9.90% to $1.732
• Gold was trading lower by 0.03% at $2,039.00, Silver fell 0.10% to $23.113, while Copper gained 0.03% to $3.8687.

US Futures at 06:30 AM ET       

Dow futures were down 0.19%, S&P 500 futures slid 0.24%, and Nasdaq 100 Futures fell 0.47%.

Forex at 06:30 AM ET

The U.S. Dollar Index was up 0.07% to 104.15, USD/JPY rose 0.04% to 150.06, and AUD/USD slid 0.05% to 1.5262.

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