Japan's Nikkei Boosts Asia Markets, Europe Opens Mixed; Crude Oil Falls 2% While Gold Stays Near Record High - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Thursday, August 15, U.S. stock markets closed higher, with the Nasdaq leading the gains after July retail sales data showed strong consumer spending, easing concerns about a possible recession in the U.S. economy.

According to the economic data, U.S. retail sales increased by 1% in July compared to a revised 0.2% drop in June, surpassing market expectations of a 0.3% rise. Initial jobless claims in the U.S. fell by 7,000 to 227,000 for the week ending August 10, better than the anticipated 235,000. The NY Empire State Manufacturing Index improved to -4.7 in August, marking its highest level in six months.

Nine of the 11 major S&P 500 sectors advanced, led by consumer discretionary and information technology, while real estate and utilities stocks closed lower.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 1.39% and closed at 40,563.06. The S&P 500 ended the day higher by 1.61% at 5,543.22, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 2.34%, finishing the session at 17,594.50.

Asian Markets Today

• On Friday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed higher by 3.88% at 38,127.50, led by gains in the Power, Real Estate and Insurance sectors.
• Japanese investors significantly increased their purchases of overseas bonds as the yen weakened, driven by expectations of the Bank of Japan’s cautious approach to rate hikes. Foreign investors also returned to buying Japanese stocks and bonds amid the yen’s stabilization.
• Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 1.34%, ending the day at 7,971.10, led by gains in the Energy, Materials, Metals & Mining sectors led shares higher.
• India’s Nifty 50 gained 1.64%, closing at 24,540.55, and the Nifty 500 closed higher by 1.67% at 23,051.95.
• China’s Shanghai Composite was up 0.07%, ending the session at 2,879.43, while the Shenzhen CSI gained 0.11%, closing at 3,345.63.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended the session higher by 1.88% at 17,430.16.

Eurozone at 06:15 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 index gained 0.64%.
• Germany’s DAX rose 0.70%.
• France’s CAC was down 0.27%.
• U.K.’s FTSE 100 traded lower by 0.44%.

Commodities at 06:15 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading lower by 2.06% at $76.53/bbl, and Brent was down 1.78% at $79.61 bbl.
• Natural Gas rose 0.68% to $2.212.
• Gold was trading higher by 0.54% at $2,505.60, Silver declined 0.54% to $28.258, and Copper slid 0.79% to $4.1182.

US Futures at 06:15 AM ET

Dow futures were down 0.02%, S&P 500 futures slid 0.07%, and Nasdaq 100 Futures gained 0.04%.

Forex at 06:15 AM ET

The U.S. Dollar Index fell 0.16% to 102.81, USD/JPY was down 0.51% at 148.50, and USD/AUD declined 0.35% to 1.5056

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