Asia And Europe Markets Mixed, Futures Rebound Ahead Of Nvidia Earnings - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Friday, February 21, U.S. markets closed sharply lower as major indexes extended their selloff amid disappointing economic data, new tariff threats, and softening consumer demand. The S&P 500 and Russell 2000 posted their largest drops since mid-December, while the Dow suffered its steepest Friday-to-Friday plunge since mid-October, reflecting heightened market uncertainty and investor caution.

According to economic data, the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment dropped 10% to 64.7 in January, with a five-year inflation outlook of 3.5%—the highest since 1995. Existing home sales fell 4.9% to 4.08 million, while February’s flash PMIs revealed a sharp services decline, fueling private sector concerns.

Most S&P 500 sectors fell with IT, consumer discretionary, and industrials down—while consumer staples defied the trend and closed higher.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1.69% and closed at 43,428.02, the S&P 500 fell 1.71% to 6,013.13, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 2.20%, finishing at 19,524.01.

Asia Markets Today

• Japan markets are closed for Emperor’s Birthday holiday.
• On Monday, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.14% to 8,308.20, led by gains in the Utilities, Financials and Consumer Discretionary sectors.
• India’s Nifty 50 slipped 1.08% to 22,549.60, and the Nifty 500 fell 1.09% to close at 20,463.80, led by losses in the Technology, Metals, and Public Sector Undertakings sectors.
• China’s Shanghai Composite slid 0.18% to 3,373.03, and the Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 declined 0.22%, ending at 3,969.72.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dipped 0.58% to close at 23,341.61.

Eurozone at 05:30 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 was down 0.01%.
• Germany’s DAX gained 0.95%.
• France’s CAC slid 0.12%.
• U.K.’s FTSE 100 index traded higher by 0.27%.
• Germany’s conservative election win eased political gridlock fears, boosting the euro and stocks, yet uncertainty lingers over crucial fiscal reforms—especially debt brake changes—amid weak economic growth and coalition challenges.

Commodities at 05:30 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 0.16% at $70.51/bbl, and Brent was up 0.16% at $74.15/bbl.
• Natural Gas declined 4.80% to $3.926.
• Gold was trading higher by 0.03% at $2,953.31, Silver was down 0.57% to $32.828, and Copper fell 0.78% to $4.7590.     

U.S. Futures at 05:30 AM ET

• Dow futures were up 0.73%, S&P 500 futures gained 0.52%, and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.40%.
• U.S. stock futures edged higher Monday ahead of Nvidia earnings, reversing last week’s losses amid weak business activity, policy uncertainty, and inflation, as investors monitor U.S. and German political moves.

Forex at 05:30 AM ET

The U.S. Dollar Index was down 0.01% to 106.06, USD/JPY was up 0.21% to 149.62, and USD/AUD fell 0.03% to 1.5717.

Photo by Pavel Bobrovskiy via Shutterstock