Global Markets Remain Mixed Amid China's Rally, Bitcoin Recovers

Major indices worldwide were tepid on Tuesday, except for China. Traders were cautious following Wall Street’s decline on Monday, as GOP lawmakers are considering outgoing President Donald Trump’s impeachment.

The Dow futures are up by 0.24%, and the S&P 500 futures are trading higher by 0.26% on the last check Tuesday. WTI crude futures are up by 1.24% to $52.90, and gold futures are up 0.21% at $1,854.70. Ten-year Treasury yield is up by 2.1 bps at 1.155%.

Bitcoin recovered from lows of $30,635 to trade 1.60% higher at $36,073, and Ethereum was up 0.92% at $1,121.10 on the last check. Bitcoin trading volume remained high despite the slump. Some have called the pullback in cryptocurrency “healthy.” The VIX futures are down by 2.35% to 23.90.

Asia: Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed higher by 0.09%, coming from a holiday. The nation’s bank lending rose 6.2% year-over-year, and the current adjusted current account expanded to ¥2.34 trillion. Chugai Pharmaceutical Co Ltd CHGCY gained 5.9% in Tokyo on reports that its drug effectively treated COVID-19 patients.

China’s Shanghai Composite rallied 2.18% after President Xi Jinping issued an upbeat assessment about China’s future, saying that “time and the situation” were on its side. Despite the rise in coronavirus infections in northern China and Sino-U.S. tensions, financials, consumer, and industrial stocks rallied.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 closed 0.27% lower, as mining stocks fell for the third straight session. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 1.32% on capital inflows from mainland China. 

India’s Nifty 50 index is trading higher by 0.58% at publication time, led by gains in autos in bank stocks. CPI and industrial production data are due later today.

South Korea’s KOSPI closed lower by 0.71%. December’s unemployment rate for December is due today.

Europe: Euro Stoxx 50 is trading marginally higher by 0.07% at press time, as investors look forward to the upcoming earnings season.

London’s FTSE 100 is down by 0.23% at publication time. U.K.’s retail sales grew 4.8% YoY in December.

Germany’s DAX is trading higher by 0.30%, led higher by banks and technology stocks.

France’s CAC 40 is trading near flat, and Spain’s IBEX 35 is up 0.31%.

Forex Trading: U.S. Dollar Index futures are down 0.08% to 90.362. The dollar has weakened 0.14% against the Euro, 0.55% against the Sterling Pound, 0.06% against the Japanese Yen, and 0.28% against the Chinese Yuan.

For news coverage in Italian or Spanish, check out Benzinga Italia and Benzinga España.