Asia And Europe Markets Advance, Semiconductor Stocks Lift Nasdaq Futures; Oil Drops On Rising Stockpiles - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Tuesday, January 28th, U.S. markets closed in green, driven by tech and AI shares, with Nvidia recovering sharply after its recent decline. The Nasdaq climbed as Apple advanced ahead of earnings reports. The semiconductor and technology sectors rallied, while General Motors dropped amid concerns over potential tariffs.

In economic data, the U.S. durable goods orders dropped 2.2% in December after a revised 2% decline in November. Meanwhile, the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index increased 4.3% annually in November, slightly up from 4.2% the previous month.

Most S&P 500 sectors fell Tuesday, led by utilities, real estate, and consumer staples, while tech and communication stocks gained.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.31% and closed at 44,850.35, the S&P 500 closed higher by 0.92% at 6,067.70, and the Nasdaq Composite surged 2.03% to finish at 19,733.59.     

Aisa Markets Today

• On Wednesday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed higher by 1.02% at 39,461.50, led by gains in the Services, Transportation Equipment, and Transport sectors.
• Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.57% at 8,447.00, led by gains in the Utilities, Gold and IT sectors.
• India’s Nifty 50 closed higher by 0.94% at 23,173.80, and Nifty 500 rose 1.58%, closing at 21,256.40, led by gains in the Real Estate, Capital Goods, and Power sectors.
• China markets were closed for the Chinese New Year holiday.

Eurozone at 05:30 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 was up 0.79%.
• Germany’s DAX rose 0.67%.
• France’s CAC declined 0.17%.
• U.K.’s FTSE index 100 traded higher by 0.19%.

Commodities at 05:30 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading lower by 0.96% at $73.06/bbl, and Brent was down 0.97% at $75.75/bbl.
• Oil prices declined Wednesday as U.S. crude stockpiles rose and Libyan supply concerns eased. Investors focused on potential U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports.
• Natural Gas declined 1.12% to $3.087.
• Gold was trading lower by 0.07% at $2,792.71, Silver was up 0.12% to $30.918, and Copper fell 0.23% to $4.2367.

U.S. Futures at 05:30 AM ET

• Dow futures were down 0.05%, S&P 500 futures gained 0.08% and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.38%.
• Nasdaq futures rose as semiconductor stocks gained after ASML’s strong earnings. Investors awaited the Fed’s rate decision and major tech earnings, while Trump’s tariff plans and inflation concerns added market uncertainty.

Forex at 05:30 AM ET

• The U.S. dollar index gained 0.20% to 108.13, the USD/JPY fell 0.14% to 155.38, and the USD/AUD rose by 0.43% to 1.6062.
• The dollar held steady as investors awaited the Fed’s policy decision and Trump’s expected tariffs.

Photo by Pavel Bobrovskiy via Shutterstock