Asia Ex-China And Europe Markets Dip, Dollar Strengthens - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Tuesday, February 18, U.S. markets closed in the green, with the S&P 500 reaching a record high amid a quiet session as investors awaited Fed minutes and retail earnings. Fed officials signaled a steady rate policy due to inflation concerns. Markets remain cautious as price growth accelerates and consumer sentiment weakens, with no immediate pressure on the Fed to cut rates.

In economic data, the NY Empire State Manufacturing Index rose 18.3 points in February to +5.7, surpassing market expectations of -1.

Most S&P 500 sectors advanced, led by energy, materials, and utilities, while communication services and consumer discretionary stocks declined.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 0.02% to close at 44,556.34, while the S&P 500 gained 0.24% to 6,129.58. The Nasdaq Composite added 0.07%, finishing at 20,041.26.

Asia Markets Today

• On Wednesday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.34% to close at 39,182.00, weighed down by losses in the Rubber, Marine Transport, and Retail sectors.
• Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.73% to 8,419.20, dragged lower by Energy, Financials, and Consumer Staples.
• India’s Nifty 50 slipped 0.13% to 22,916.15, while the Nifty 500 gained 0.51% to close at 20,717.00. The decline was led by losses in the Technology, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods, and Healthcare sectors.
• China’s Shanghai Composite rose 0.81% to 3,351.54, while the Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 added 0.70%, ending at 3,940.16.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dipped 0.14% to close at 22,944.24.

Eurozone at 05:30 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 was down 0.32%.
• Germany’s DAX declined 0.38%.
• France’s CAC fell 0.45%.
• U.K.’s FTSE 100 index traded lower by 0.26%

Commodities at 05:30 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 0.78% at $72.39/bbl, and Brent was up 0.69% at $76.36/bbl.
• Oil prices rose due to supply concerns in the U.S. and Russia and uncertainty over Ukraine peace talks. Brent crude and WTI gained as cold weather, a Ukrainian drone attack, and potential OPEC+ decisions supported prices.
• Natural Gas declined 0.37% to $3.992.
• Gold was trading higher by 0.47% at $2,962.69, Silver was up 0.61% to $33.557, and Copper rose 0.23% to $4.6015.

U.S. Futures at 05:30 AM ET

Dow futures were down 0.02%, S&P 500 futures declined 0.06%, and Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.07%.

Forex at 05:30 AM ET

• The U.S. Dollar Index rose 0.12% to 107.21, USD/JPY was down 0.18% to 151.74, and USD/AUD slid 0.01% to 1.5743.
• The dollar remained stable Wednesday while the yen strengthened amid Ukraine ceasefire talks and new U.S. tariff threats.

Photo by Pavel Bobrovskiy via Shutterstock