Asia Markets Mixed, Europe Slips And Gold Gains On Policy Uncertainty Pressure - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Wednesday, April 23, U.S. markets closed higher on renewed optimism over U.S.-China trade talks and President Trump’s reassurances that Fed Chair Powell won’t be fired.

Markets welcomed signs of easing tariffs and Fed stability. Despite late-session pullbacks, all major indexes closed higher. Strong earnings also supported sentiment, with 75% of S&P 500 firms beating expectations.

According to economic data, U.S. new home sales surged by 7.4% to 724,000 units annually. S&P Global services PMI slipped to 51.4 in April, indicating slower growth, while manufacturing PMI rose slightly to 50.7, suggesting modest expansion in factory activity.

Most S&P 500 sectors ended higher, led by tech, consumer discretionary, and communication services. Consumer staples and energy lagged, closing lower.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.07% to 39,606.57, the S&P 500 rose 1.67% to 5,375.86, and the Nasdaq Composite closed 2.50% higher at 16,708.05.

Asia Markets Today

• On Thursday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.61% to close at 35,081.50, led by gains in the Real Estate, Banking, and Textile sectors.
• Australia’ S&P/ASX 200 closed higher by 0.60% at 7,968.20, led by gains in the Gold, Healthcare and Metals & Mining sectors.
• India’s Nifty 50 was down 0.24% at 22,185.95, and Nifty 500 slid 0.33% to 22,185.95.
• China’s Shanghai Composite rose 0.03% to 3,297.29, while Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 slid 0.07% to 3,784.36.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed 0.74% lower at 21,909.76.

Eurozone at 05:45 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 was down 0.43%.
• Germany’s DAX declined 0.25%.
• France’s CAC 40 fell 0.43%.
• U.K.’s FTSE 100 index traded lower by 0.14%.

Commodities at 05:45 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 0.11% at $62.34/bbl, and Brent was down 0.02% at $66.11/bbl.
• Oil prices rebounded after yesterday’s drop as investors weighed potential OPEC+ output hikes, U.S.-China tariff signals, and nuclear talks with Iran amid ongoing market uncertainty.
• Natural Gas fell 1.46% to $2.978.
• Gold was trading higher by 1.36% at $3,339.15, Silver was down 0.66% to $32.8320, and Copper rose 0.29% to $4.8575.
• Gold prices jumped amid renewed U.S.-China trade war tensions and fresh Russia-Ukraine conflict, boosting haven demand.

U.S. Futures at 05:45 AM ET

Dow futures were down 0.67%, S&P 500 futures slid 0.60% and Nasdaq 100 futures declined 0.80%.

Forex at 05:45 AM ET

• The U.S. Dollar Index fell 0.53% to 99.38, USD/JPY was down 0.56% to 142.59, and USD/AUD slid 0.34% to 1.5672.
• The U.S. dollar weakened Thursday after Trump eased tensions with the Fed and China. Treasury Secretary Bessent’s comments on unsustainable tariffs and no set currency target added pressure.

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