Asian Markets Higher, Europe Trades In Green Following US Inflation Data - Global Markets Today While US Was Sleeping

On Wednesday, September 13, the U.S. markets ended mixed as investors reacted to higher-than-anticipated August inflation data.

The U.S. annual inflation rate climbed to 3.7%, surpassing the previous month's 3.2% and market expectations of 3.6%. Month-over-month, consumer prices rose by 0.6% in August, up from July's 0.2% growth.

Most S&P 500 sectors ended the day positively, with utilities and consumer discretionary stocks posting the largest gains. In contrast, energy, industrials, and real estate stocks finished lower.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished the day with a 0.20% dip, ending at 34,575.53. The S&P 500 experienced a 0.12% increase, closing at 4,467.44. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite recorded a 0.29% rise, ending its session at 13,813.58.

Asian Markets Today 

• Japan's Nikkei 225 concluded Thursday's session with an increase of 1.52%, closing at 33,212.50, led by gains in the Rubber, Railway & Bus, and Chemical, Petroleum, and plastic sectors.
• Japan's core machinery orders declined in July due to a decrease in the confidence levels of the country's largest manufacturers. Japan Industrial Production (MoM) For July -1.8% Vs. -2% Est.; -2.4% Prior
• Australia's S&P/ASX 200 recorded a 0.46% rise and closed at 7,186.50, led by gains in the Gold, Metals & Mining and Materials sectors.
• China's Shanghai Composite closed the session at 3,126.55, up 0.11%, while Shenzhen CSI 300 declined 0.08%, ending at 3,733.51.
• China's markets were cautious ahead of important economic indicators on Friday.
• Hong Kong's Hang Seng Stock Exchange rose 0.24%, closing at 18,053.00. 

Eurozone at 05.30 AM ET

• The European STOXX 600 index gained 0.33%, with Germany's DAX edging slightly higher at 0.10%.
• France's CAC 40 rose by 0.06%.
• The U.K.'s FTSE 100 traded higher by 0.72%.

Commodities at 05.30 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 0.58% at $89.03/bbl, and Brent was up 0.59% to $92.42/bbl.
• Natural Gas gained 2.80% to $2.753.
• Gold was trading lower by 0.25% at $1,927.65, Silver was down 1.51% to $22.828, and Copper rose 0.14% to $3.7977.

US Futures at 05.30 AM ET

Dow futures gained 0.23%, S&P 500 futures were up 0.33%, and Nasdaq 100 futures increased by 0.34%.

Forex at 05.30 AM ET

The U.S. Dollar Index was down 0.02% to 104.74. USD/JPY declined 0.07% to 147.34, and USD/AUD slid 0.07% to 1.5559.