Asia Markets Mixed, Europe Gains, While Crude Oil Touches $82 - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Monday, March 18th, U.S. markets ended the day in green, driven by major growth stocks like Alphabet and Tesla, aiding the Nasdaq’s tech rebound, as investors awaited the Federal Reserve’s meeting this week.

The day’s highlight was the market-boosting news of an anticipated AI agreement between Alphabet Inc. GOOGL and Apple Inc. AAPL to integrate Google’s Gemini AI engine into the iPhone.

Related: Apple’s Partnership With Google The ‘Missing Piece’ In Tim Cook’s AI Strategy, Says Wedbush’s Dan Ives

In economic data, the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index climbed to 51 in March, reaching its peak in eight months, up from 48 in February and surpassing the market predictions of 48.

The communication services sector led S&P 500 gains, while most sectors advanced, especially consumer staples and discretionary, healthcare, and real estate, dipped slightly.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.20% to close at 38,790.43. The S&P 500 was up 0.63%, ending the day at 5,149.42, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.82%, finishing the session at 16,103.45

Asian Markets Today

• On Tuesday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index closed the session higher by 0.66% at 39,978.50, led by gains in the Paper & Pulp, Shipbuilding, and Precision Instruments sectors.
• The Bank of Japan ended negative rates, signaling its first tightening since 2007 and abandoning ultra-easy policies.
• In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.36% and closed at 7,703.20, led by gains in the Resources, Metals & Mining and Materials sectors.
• The Reserve Bank of Australia kept interest rates steady as expected, noting that despite a significant moderation, inflation remains too high.
• India’s Nifty 50 closed lower by 1.08% at 21,817.45, and the Nifty 500 slid 1.17% to 19,610.55.
• China’s Shanghai Composite declined 0.72% to 3,062.76, and the Shenzhen CSI 300 was down 0.72%, closing at 3,577.63.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slipped 1.24%, concluding the day at 16,529.48.

Eurozone at 06:15 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 index was up 0.31%.
• Germany’s DAX gained 0.25%.
• France’s CAC rose 0.35%.
• U.K.’s FTSE 100 traded lower by 0.19%.

Commodities at 06:15 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading lower by 0.23% at $81.97/bbl, and Brent was down 0.32% at $86.61/bbl.
• Natural Gas gained 0.65% to $1.714.
• Gold was trading lower by 0.25% at $2,158.95, Silver fell 0.52% to $25.133, while Copper slid 1.05% to $4.0868.

US Futures at 06:15 AM ET       

Dow futures were down 0.09%, S&P 500 futures fell 0.17%, and Nasdaq 100 Futures declined 0.25%.

Forex at 06:15 AM ET

The U.S. Dollar Index rose 0.54% to 103.99, USD/JPY gained 0.95% to 150.55 and USD/AUD climbed 0.76% to 1.5375.

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