Asia Markets Mixed, Europe Dips; Copper Prices Rise On BHP's Buyout Offer To Anglo American - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Wednesday, April 24, the U.S. stock markets closed mixed as the S&P 500 closed higher, influenced by rising Treasury yields following a $70 billion auction and positive tech earnings. 

The Dow fell, but the Nasdaq rose, with consumer staples and real estate sectors leading gains.

According to economic data, U.S. mortgage applications dropped 2.7% in the week ending April 19. Meanwhile, orders for durable goods increased by 2.6% in March, and crude oil inventories unexpectedly fell by 6.368 million barrels, defying expectations of a gain.

Seven of the eleven S&P 500 sectors saw advances, with the leading performances in consumer staples, utilities, consumer discretionary, and real estate stocks.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.11% to close at 38,460.92. The S&P 500 rose 0.02%, ending the day at 5,071.63, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.10%, finishing the session at 15,712.75.

Asian Markets Today

• On Thursday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index closed down 2.16% at 37,628.48. Investors eyed the critical Bank of Japan monetary policy decision on Friday amidst a weakening yen and surging oil prices.
• Australia markets closed for ANZAC Day.
• India’s Nifty 50 closed higher by 0.75% at 22,570.35, and the Nifty 500 rose 0.66%, closing at 20,867.90.
• China’s Shanghai Composite gained 0.27% to end the session at 3,052.90, and the Shenzhen CSI 300 rose 0.25%, closing at 3,530.28.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 0.48%, concluding the day at 17,284.54.

Eurozone at 06:00 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 index was down 0.51%.
• Germany’s DAX declined 0.53%.
• France’s CAC slipped 0.61%.
• U.K.’s FTSE 100 traded higher by 0.64%.
• European stocks dipped as traders reacted to mixed earnings from major companies, while the UK’s FTSE 100 gained, boosted by Anglo American surging after a buyout offer from BHP Group BHP.

Commodities at 06:00 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading lower by 0.04 % at $82.78/bbl, and Brent was up 0.01% at $88.03 bbl.
• Natural Gas declined 0.40% to $1.197.
• Gold was trading lower by 0.01% at $2,338.05, Silver gained 0.20% to $27.398, while Copper was up 1.44% at $4.5215.

US Futures at 06:00 AM ET            

Dow futures were down 0.37%, S&P 500 futures slid 0.53%, and Nasdaq 100 Futures fell 0.82%.

Forex at 06:00 AM ET

The U.S. Dollar Index declined 0.24% to 105.60, USD/JPY was up 0.19% to 155.62, and USD/AUD slipped 0.46% to 1.5319.

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