Asia And Europe Markets Mixed, Crude Oil Stays Above $80 With Gold Above $2,200 - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Tuesday, March 26th, U.S. stock markets closed in the red, marking the third straight day of losses for the Dow and S&P 500. Investors held back, awaiting economic data that could provide insights into the Federal Reserve's policy trajectory during the abbreviated trading week.

According to economic data, U.S. durable goods orders rose by 1.4% in February, rebounding from a 6.9% drop in January. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index saw a 6.6% annual increase in January, up from a 6.2% rise the previous month.

Most S&P 500 sectors ended lower, particularly utilities, energy, and tech stocks, while healthcare and financial sectors resisted the downtrend, closing higher.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.08% to close at 39,282.33. The S&P 500 was down 0.28%, ending the day at 5,203.58, while the Nasdaq Composite slid 0.42%, finishing the session at 16,315.70.

Asian Markets Today

• On Wednesday, Japan's Nikkei 225 index closed the session higher by 0.73% at 40,791.00, led by gains in the Shipbuilding, Insurance, and Real Estate sectors.
• In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.51% and closed at 7,819.60, led by gains in the Consumer Staples, Healthcare, and Industrials sectors.
• India's Nifty 50 closed higher by 0.54% at 22,123.65, and the Nifty 500 rose 0.41% to 20,087.80.
• China's Shanghai Composite declined 1.26% to 2,993.14, and the Shenzhen CSI 300 was down 1.16%, closing at 3,502.79.
• Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index slipped 1.36%, concluding the day at 16,392.84.
• China's stocks fell to a one-month low, with Shanghai dropping below 3000 points due to a weak yuan and significant foreign sell-off—the biggest since mid-January. Despite increased industrial profits, property market struggles continue to hinder recovery.

Eurozone at 06:45 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 index was up 0.30%.
• Germany's DAX gained 0.35%.
• France's CAC rose 0.13%.
• U.K.'s FTSE 100 traded lower by 0.28%.

Commodities at 06:45 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading lower by 0.64% at $81.10/bbl, and Brent was down 0.60% at $85.12/bbl.
• Natural Gas was down 0.78% to $1.774.
• Gold was trading higher by 0.73% at $2,215.60, Silver rose 0.08% to $24.642, while Copper slipped 0.31% at $3.9962.

US Futures at 06:45 AM ET       

Dow futures were up 0.42%, S&P 500 futures rose 0.40%, and Nasdaq 100 Futures gained 0.43%.

Forex at 06:45 AM ET

The U.S. Dollar Index gained 0.01% to 104.30, USD/JPY was down 0.28% to 151.12, and USD/AUD climbed 0.08% to 1.5317.

Photo by Pavel Bobrovskiy via Shutterstock