Asia Markets Mixed, Europe Rebounds; Dollar Heads For Third Weekly Drop - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Thursday, February 20, U.S. markets closed lower as investor confidence weakened due to growing tariff concerns and Walmart’s disappointing sales and profit outlook. All major indexes declined, with the Dow experiencing the steepest drop, while the S&P 500 ended its streak of record highs. Gold prices surged to a historic peak as investors sought safer assets amid rising economic uncertainty. Walmart’s weaker forecast signaled potential declines in consumer spending, amplifying worries about economic growth.

Also Read: Walmart Expands AI Use Beyond Optimizing Delivery Routes, To Tackling Inventory Issues And Delivering Code Faster

In economic data, initial jobless claims rose by 5,000 to 219,000 for the week ending February 15, slightly above the expected 215,000. The Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index fell sharply to 18.1 in February from 44.3 the prior month.

Most S&P 500 sectors declined, led by financial, consumer discretionary, and consumer staples, while energy and real estate stocks closed higher.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 1.01% to close at 44,176.65, while the S&P 500 slid 0.43% to 6,117.52. The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.47%, finishing at 19,962.36.

Asia Markets Today

• On Friday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.28% to close at 38,784.00, led by gains in the Gas and water, Transport, and Marine Transport sectors.
• Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.32% to 8,296.20, led by losses in the Consumer Discretionary, Telecoms Services and Financials sectors.
• India’s Nifty 50 slipped 0.65% to 22,763.95, and the Nifty 500 declined 0.84% to close at 20,656.30, led by losses in the Auto, Oil & Gas, and Real Estate sectors.
• China’s Shanghai Composite rose 0.85% to 3,379.11, and the Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 gained 1.26%, ending at 3,978.44.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 3.99% to close at 23,477.92.

Eurozone at 05:30 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 was up 0.33%.
• Germany’s DAX gained 0.03%.
• France’s CAC rose 0.47%.
• U.K.’s FTSE 100 index traded higher by 0.10%
• European shares rose Friday as investors assessed economic data and Germany’s upcoming election. The STOXX 600 rebounded but eyed weekly losses.

Commodities at 05:30 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading lower by 1.06% at $71.71/bbl, and Brent was down 1.02% at $75.71/bbl.
• Oil prices dipped Friday but remained on track for weekly gains amid supply concerns in Russia and rising demand in the U.S. and China. The market focus stayed on supply disruptions and geopolitical tensions.
• Natural Gas gained 3.95% to $4.316.
• Gold was trading lower by 0.38% at $2,944.99, Silver was down 0.47% to $33.325, and Copper fell 0.89% to $4.5713.       

U.S. Futures at 05:30 AM ET

Dow futures were up 0.11%, S&P 500 futures gained 0.02%, and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.11%.

Forex at 05:30 AM ET

• The U.S. dollar index gained 0.29% to 106.67, the USD/JPY rose 0.45% to 150.38, and the USD/AUD rose 0.21% to 1.5656.
• The dollar headed for a third weekly drop as Trump’s tariff threats remained largely rhetoric, while the yen surged on rising Japanese inflation before the BOJ intervened.

Photo by Pavel Bobrovskiy via Shutterstock