On Tuesday, December 10th, U.S. markets closed lower, with losses in the technology sector outweighing gains in communications services. Investors remained cautious ahead of key inflation data, including the Consumer Price Index and Producer Price Index, which are expected to influence the Federal Reserve’s upcoming interest rate decision.

Economic data shows that labor productivity in the U.S. nonfarm business sector rose by 2.2% during the third quarter, consistent with the preliminary estimate.

Most S&P 500 sectors fell, led by real estate, tech, and materials, while communication services and consumer staples gained.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.35% and closed at 44,247.83, the S&P 500 declined 0.30% to 6,034.91, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.25% to finish at 19,687.24.

Asia Markets Today

Eurozone at 05:30 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 index was down 0.10%.
• Germany’s DAX gained 0.04%.
• France’s CAC rose 0.02%.
• UK’s FTSE 100 index traded higher by 0.01%.

Commodities at 05:30 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 1.01% at $69.29/bbl, and Brent was up 0.90% at $72.84/bbl.
• Oil prices rose on optimism over China’s monetary easing plans, though rising U.S. crude and fuel inventories tempered gains.
• Natural Gas gained 2.56% to $3.244.
• Gold was trading higher by 0.18% at $2,723.11, Silver was down 0.59% to $32.550, and Copper fell 0.63% to $4.2455.

U.S. Futures at 05:30 AM ET

Dow futures were down 0.15%, S&P 500 futures were up 0.08%, and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.18%.

Forex at 05:30 AM ET

• The U.S. dollar index gained 0.31% to 106.73, the USD/JPY rose 0.38% to 152.52, and the USD/AUD rose 0.45% to 1.5750.
• The U.S. dollar strengthened, supported by expectations of resilient inflation ahead of the CPI report and concerns over China’s potential yuan weakening, which weighed on Asian and European currencies.

Photo by Pavel Bobrovskiy via Shutterstock