Asia Mixed, European Markets Continue To Decline While Dollar Advances - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Thursday, June 13th, U.S. stock markets closed mixed, with the Nasdaq and S&P 500 reaching record highs for the fourth consecutive session, fueled by advances in technology and subdued inflation data, despite lower U.S. Treasury yields and moderated expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts.

According to economic data, U.S. producer prices dropped 0.2% in May, defying expectations of a gain, while initial jobless claims rose to 242,000, exceeding forecasts. The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady but hinted at fewer rate cuts ahead.

Most S&P 500 sectors fell, led by declines in communication services, energy, and industrials, while information technology and real estate stocks rose.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.17% and closed at 38,647.10. The S&P 500 rose 0.23%, ending the day at 5,433.74, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.33%, finishing the session at 17,665.90.

Asian Markets Today

• On Friday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.36%, ending the session at 38,854.50, led by gains in the Chemical, Petroleum & Plastic, Transportation Equipment, and Precision Instruments sectors.
• The Bank of Japan plans to reduce its bond purchases and will detail next month how it intends to decrease its nearly $5 trillion balance sheet. Governor Kazuo Ueda hinted at a possible interest rate hike in July due to rising import costs from a weaker yen, even as the bank maintained its short-term policy rate and current bond purchasing pace.
• Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.33% ending the day at 7,724.30, led by losses in the Gold, Telecoms Services and IT sectors.
• India’s Nifty 50 gained 0.29% to close at 23,465.60, and the Nifty 500 closed higher by 0.63% at 22,214.30.
• China’s Shanghai Composite was up 0.12%, ending the session at 3,032.63, and the Shenzhen CSI rose 0.44%, closing at 3,541.53.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended the session lower by 0.94% at 17,941.78.

Eurozone at 06:15 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 index declined 1.78%.
• Germany’s DAX slid 1.31%.
• France’s CAC was down 2.45%.
• U.K.’s FTSE 100 traded lower by 0.49%.

Commodities at 06:15 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading lower by 0.36% at $78.35/bbl, and Brent was down 0.18% at $82.59 bbl.
• Natural Gas declined 0.41% to $2.947.
• Gold was trading higher by 1.12% at $2,344.35, Silver rose 0.49% to $29.215, and Copper was down 0.46% to $4.4618.

US Futures at 06:15 AM ET

Dow futures were down 0.86%, S&P 500 futures fell 0.54%, and Nasdaq 100 Futures declined 0.29%.

Forex at 06:15 AM ET

The U.S. Dollar Index gained 0.42% to 105.64, USD/JPY was down 0.07% at 156.93, and USD/AUD rose 0.38% to 1.5127.

Photo by rafastockbr on Shutterstock