Gold Rallies To Record, Dollar Drops - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Thursday, April 17, U.S. markets closed mixed as investors balanced progress in trade talks with ongoing concerns about interest rates. Optimism followed positive comments on trade negotiations, but uncertainty remained about future deals. While some sectors saw gains, the broader market experienced declines over the week. Traders are focused on upcoming trade discussions and potential actions from the central bank.

In economic data, U.S. housing starts decreased by 11.4% month-over-month to an annualized rate of 1.324 million in March. Initial jobless claims fell by 9,000 to 215,000 in the second week of April, better than the expected 225,000. The Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index dropped by 39 points to -26.4 in April, well below the expected 2.

Most sectors on the S&P 500 closed higher, led by energy, consumer staples, and real estate, while information technology and healthcare ended lower.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 1.33% to 39,142.23, the S&P 500 rose 0.13% to 5,282.70, and the Nasdaq Composite slid 0.13% to close at 16,286.45.

Asia Markets Today

• On Monday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.30% to close at 34,279.50, led by losses in the Paper & Pulp, Transport and Communication sectors.
• Australian markets are closed for the Easter holiday.
• India’s Nifty 50 was up 1.11% at 24,119.25, and Nifty 500 rose 1.45% to 21,994.95.
• China’s Shanghai Composite rose 0.45% to 3,291.43, while Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 gained 0.33% to 3,784.88.
• Hong Kong markets are closed for the Easter holiday.

Eurozone at 05:45 AM ET

• European markets closed for the Easter holiday.

Commodities at 05:45 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading lower by 2.91% at $62.15/bbl, and Brent was down 2.80% at $66.05/bbl.
• Oil prices dropped on Monday amid positive U.S.-Iran talks and concerns over an economic slowdown caused by tariffs. Lower liquidity and fears of reduced fuel demand heightened market volatility.
• Natural Gas fell 0.96% to $3.216.
• Gold was trading higher by 2.34% at $3,406.26, Silver was up 1.12% to $32.835, and Copper rose 0.87% to $4.7803.
• Gold prices hit a new record on Monday, rising due to a weaker dollar, geopolitical tensions, and uncertainty surrounding U.S. Federal Reserve policy.        

U.S. Futures at 05:45 AM ET

Dow futures were down 0.98%, S&P 500 futures declined 1.12% and Nasdaq 100 futures fell 1.20%.

Forex at 05:45 AM ET

• The U.S. Dollar Index slipped 1.29% to 99.19, USD/JPY was down 1.07% to 140.65, and USD/AUD fell 0.18% to 1.5653.
• The dollar fell sharply on Monday, hitting decade-lows against the Swiss franc and yen, as concerns grew over President Trump’s plans to challenge the independence of the Federal Reserve.

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