Asia Mixed, Europe Markets Advance; Gold Steady Near All-Time High, Dollar Strengthens - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Wednesday, Aug. 21, U.S. stocks closed higher amid cautious trading, as investors absorbed a payrolls revision and Federal Reserve minutes, solidifying expectations for a September rate cut. The upcoming Jackson Hole symposium adds to market anticipation.

In economic data, FOMC minutes strengthened expectations for a September rate cut, highlighting ongoing disinflation progress. Meanwhile, U.S. mortgage applications dropped by 10.1% in the week ending Aug. 16, reflecting softer demand in the housing market.

Nine of the 11 major S&P 500 sectors ended in positive territory, with consumer discretionary stocks posting the highest percentage gains, while financials and energy closed lower.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.14% and closed at 40,890.49. The S&P 500 ended the day higher by 0.42% at 5,620.85, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.57%, finishing the session at 17,918.99.

Asian Markets Today

• On Thursday, Japan's Nikkei 225 closed higher by 0.67% at 38,207.50, led by gains in the Paper & Pulp, Marine Transport, and Gas & Water sectors.
• Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.21%, ending the day at 8,027.00, led by gains in the IT, Industrials, and A-REITs sectors.
• India's Nifty 50 gained 0.17%, closing at 24,811.50, and Nifty 500 closed higher by 0.31% at 23,440.70.
• China’s Shanghai Composite was down 0.27%, ending the session at 2,848.77, and the Shenzhen CSI declined 0.26%, closing at 3,313.14.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended the session higher by 1.44% at 17,641.00.

Eurozone at 06:15 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 index gained 0.33%.
• Germany's DAX rose 0.31%.
• France's CAC was up 0.33%.
• U.K.'s FTSE 100 traded higher by 0.25%.

Commodities at 06:15 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 0.22% at $72.08/bbl, and Brent was up 0.37% at $76.39 bbl.
• Natural Gas fell 0.55% to $2.163.
• Gold was trading lower by 0.12% at $2,544.55, Silver gained 0.31% to $29.630, and Copper fell 0.48% to $4.1700.

US Futures at 06:15 AM ET

Dow futures were up 0.09%, S&P 500 futures gained 0.09%, and Nasdaq 100 Futures rose 0.12%.

Forex at 06:15 AM ET

• The U.S. dollar index gained 0.24% to 101.29, the USD/JPY rose 0.39% to 145.82, and the USD/AUD rose 0.09% to 1.4842.
• European stocks rose slightly, oil prices fell for a fifth day, and the dollar remained subdued after Fed minutes hinted at likely U.S. rate cuts in September. Economic data and Fed expectations influenced markets.

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