Asia Mixed, Europe Markets Dip; Gold Hovers Near Record High - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Monday, May 21st, U.S. stock markets closed higher, with all major indexes gaining, as U.S. Treasury yields fell. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq reached record highs ahead of Nvidia’s quarterly results and the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting minutes.

On Tuesday, Fed Governor Christopher Waller reassured markets that recent economic data suggests the Fed’s restrictive policy is effectively working, easing concerns about a potential rate hike.     

The majority of sectors on the S&P 500 closed higher Tuesday, led by utilities, consumer staples, and financials, while energy and industrials lagged, closing lower.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.17% and closed at 39,872.99. The S&P 500 gained 0.25%, ending the day at 5,321.41, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.22%, finishing the session at 16,832.62.

 Asia Markets Today

• On Wednesday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 declined 0.86%, ending the session at 38,618.00. The decline was driven by investor anticipation of Nvidia’s earnings and domestic companies’ cautious outlooks amid uncertainties surrounding interest rates and currency movements.
• Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index closed lower by 0.05% at 7,848.10, driven by declines in retail and consumer stocks despite gains in the mining sector.
• India’s Nifty 50 was up 0.31% at 22,597.80, and the Nifty 500 closed higher by 0.24% at 21,237.75.
• China’s Shanghai Composite was up 0.02%, ending the session at 3,158.54, and the Shenzhen CSI gained 0.23%, closing at 3,684.45.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended the session lower by 0.13% at 19,195.60.

 Eurozone at 06:15 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 index was down 0.20%.
• Germany’s DAX declined 0.21%.
• France’s CAC slid 0.46%.
• U.K.’s FTSE 100 traded lower by 0.26%.

Commodities at 06:15 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading lower by 0.69% at $78.11/bbl, and Brent was down 0.62% at $82.36 bbl.
• Natural Gas declined 1.80% to $2.622.
• Gold was trading lower by 0.20% at $2,420.95, Silver slid 0.31% to $31.980, while Copper was down 2.12% to $4.9985.

US Futures at 06:15 AM ET                       

Dow futures were down 0.08%, S&P 500 futures declined 0.13%, and Nasdaq 100 Futures fell 0.11%.

Forex at 06:15 AM ET

The U.S. Dollar Index rose 0.05% to 104.72, USD/JPY was up 0.18% at 156.43, and USD/AUD declined 0.01% to 1.5001.

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