Asia Markets Mixed, Europe Fall As Gold Hits New Peak - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Monday, April 8th, the U.S. stock markets ended essentially flat at the end of a volatile trading day. A solar eclipse diverted attention in anticipation of important inflation figures and the start of the first quarter earnings season.

Economic data showed that the yield on the 10-year Treasury note, a key benchmark, increased by roughly four basis points to 4.42%.

Six of the S&P 500’s 11 main sectors ended the day down, with energy stocks experiencing the biggest percentage drop. 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.03% to close at 38,892.80. The S&P 500 was down 0.04%, ending the day at 5,202.39, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.03%, finishing the session at 16,253.96.

Asian Markets Today

• On Tuesday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index ended the trading day higher by 1.13% at 39,759.50, led by gains in the Automobiles & Parts, Chemical, Petroleum & Plastic, and Finance & Investment sectors.
• In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 rose by 0.45% to finish at 7,824.20, driven by increases in the Metals & Mining, Materials, and Resources sectors.
• India’s Nifty 50 closed lower by 0.10% at 22,642.75, and the Nifty 500 slid 0.14% to 20,790.70.
• China’s Shanghai Composite gained 0.05% to 3,048.54, while the Shenzhen CSI 300 was down 0.08%, closing at 3,533.49. 
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index climbed 0.57%, concluding the day at 16,828.07.

Eurozone at 06:15 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 index was down 0.29%.
• Germany’s DAX slid 0.65%.
• France’s CAC declined 0.56%.
• U.K.’s FTSE 100 traded lower by 0.01%.

Commodities at 06:15 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 0.29% at $86.68/bbl, and Brent was up 0.34% at $90.69/bbl.
• Natural Gas was up 1.41% at $1.870.
• Gold was trading higher by 1.21% at $2,379.05, Silver gained 1.33% to $28.177, while Copper was up 0.43% at $4.2942.
• Gold prices edged up in Asia on Tuesday, staying near record highs due to strong safe-haven demand, as investors awaited further updates on U.S. inflation and interest rates.

US Futures at 06:15 AM ET       

Dow futures were down 0.03%, S&P 500 futures rose 0.06%, and Nasdaq 100 Futures gained 0.14%.

Forex at 06:15 AM ET

The U.S. Dollar Index declined 0.09% to 104.05, USD/JPY was up 0.02% to 151.81, and USD/AUD slipped 0.28% to 1.5094.

Photo by Aleksandar Grozdanovski via Shutterstock