Asia Mixed, Europe Market Gains In US Election Week; Crude Oil Up 2% - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Friday, November 1st, U.S. markets closed higher, rebounding from Thursday’s drop as Amazon’s strong earnings provided a boost despite weak October job growth in the U.S.

Amazon’s solid retail sales helped offset investor worries, while Apple faced pressure due to declining China sales. Other tech giants, including Meta and Microsoft, had reported earnings with caution over AI infrastructure costs, impacting the Nasdaq earlier.

Economic data showed that the U.S. economy added 2,000 jobs, a notable drop from the revised 223,000 positions added in September and falling short of the anticipated 113,000. Average hourly wages rose by 0.4% to $35.46, while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.1%.

The majority of S&P 500 sectors ended down Friday, led by losses in utilities, energy, and real estate, while consumer discretionary and tech stocks closed higher.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.69% to close at 42,052.19, the S&P 500 rose 0.41% to 5,728.80, and the Nasdaq Composite increased 0.80% to finish at 18,239.92.

Asia Markets Today

• Japan Markets closed for the Culture Day holiday.
• On Monday, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.56% and ended the day at 8,164.60, led by gains in the IT, Utilities, and Telecoms Services sectors.
• India’s Nifty 50 traded lower by 1.29% at 23,989.65, and the Nifty 500 was down 1.38% at 22,508.65.
• China’s Shanghai Composite rose 1.17% to close at 3,310.21, and the Shenzhen CSI 300 gained 1.41%, finishing the day at 3,944.76.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.30% and closed the session at 20,567.52.

Eurozone at 05.45 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 index was up 0.27%.
• Germany’s DAX gained 0.15%.
• France’s CAC rose 0.40%.
• U.K.’s FTSE 100 index traded higher by 0.63%.

Commodities at 05.45 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 2.33% at $71.10/bbl, and Brent was up 2.19% at $74.70/bbl.
• Oil prices rose as OPEC+ postponed its planned output increase, signaling support amid weak demand. This gain occurs as markets prepare for a significant week, with the U.S. presidential election, potential Federal Reserve rate cuts, and key economic decisions from China’s Congress.
• Natural Gas declined 1.01% at $2.636.
• Gold was trading higher by 0.07% at $2,751.15, Silver gained 0.65% to $32.883, and Copper rose 0.87% to $4.4095.

U.S. Futures at 05.45 AM ET

Dow futures were up 0.09%, S&P 500 futures gained 0.22%, and Nasdaq 100 Futures rose 0.21%.

Forex at 05.45 AM ET

• The U.S. dollar index fell 0.54% to 103.72, the USD/JPY was down 0.76% to 151.82, and the USD/AUD gained 0.30% to 1.5169.
• The dollar fell as markets reacted to a surprise poll showing Kamala Harris leading, boosting investor sentiment for continuity. Uncertainty surrounding the close U.S. election and potential Fed rate cut also contributed to caution in currency markets.

Photo by Pavel Bobrovskiy via Shutterstock