Asia And Europe Markets Mixed, Gold Gains, Oil Slides On OPEC+ Output Hike - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Friday, May 2nd, U.S. markets closed higher, as strong U.S. jobs data and signs of U.S.-China tariff talks boosted risk appetite. The S&P 500 marked its longest winning streak in over 20 years. While megacap tech stocks cooled, financials and chipmakers outperformed. Treasury yields surged, and European markets closed higher on revived trade hopes.

In economic data, U.S. nonfarm payrolls rose 177,000, beating forecasts and easing tariff worries, while the jobless rate held at 4.2%. March factory orders jumped 4.3% to $618.8 billion.

Most S&P 500 sectors rose Friday, led by financials, communication services, and industrials, while healthcare and consumer staples fell.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.39% to 41,317.43, the S&P 500 gained 1.47% to 5,686.67, while the Nasdaq gained 1.51% to 17,977.73.

Asia Markets Today

• Japan's market closed for the Children's Day holiday.
• On Monday, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.97%, ending the session at 8,157.80, which was led by losses in the energy, financials, and telecoms services sectors.
• India's Nifty 50 was up 0.48% at 24,463.40, and Nifty 500 rose 0.89% to 22,201.65.
• China markets closed for the Labour Day holiday.

Eurozone at 05:45 AM ET

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• The European STOXX 50 index was down 0.30%.
• Germany's DAX index gained 0.60%.
• France's CAC 40 slid 0.53%.
• The U.K. market closed for the Bank Holiday.

Commodities at 05:45 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading lower by 1.49% at $57.43/bbl, and Brent was down 1.39% at $60.44/bbl.
• Oil prices dropped as OPEC+ agreed to accelerate production hikes, raising concerns about oversupply and weakening demand.
• Natural Gas gained 1.60% to $3688.
• Gold was trading higher by 2.16% at $3,313.89, Silver was up 1.03% to $32.588, and Copper rose 1.63% to $4.7487.

U.S. Futures at 05:45 AM ET

Dow futures were down 0.67%, S&P 500 futures declined 0.78% and Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.91%.

Forex at 05:45 AM ET

• The U.S. Dollar Index fell 0.36% to 99.68, USD/JPY was down 0.72% to 143.91, and USD/AUD declined 0.73% to 1.5404.
• The U.S. dollar weakened as the Taiwan dollar surged, fueling Asian currency speculation. Despite strong jobs data, Fed rate cut bets shifted to July, while Europe's currencies edged higher.

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