Asia Ex-Japan Markets Up, Europe Slips, While Dollar Extends Slide - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Tuesday, May 20, U.S. markets closed lower, snapping recent winning streaks as rising Treasury yields and mounting federal debt concerns weighed on investor sentiment.

Losses were widespread, with energy and tech stocks leading the decline. Markets also reacted to Federal Reserve commentary and ongoing political discussions around tax cuts. Defensive sectors like utilities and healthcare posted gains, but overall momentum stalled amid rate uncertainty.

In economic data, the U.S. Redbook Index rose 5.4% year-over-year for the week ending May 17.

Most S&P 500 sectors declined, led by energy and consumer discretionary, while utilities and healthcare outperformed.

The Dow fell 0.27% to 42,677.24, the S&P 500 dropped 0.39% to 5,940.46, and the Nasdaq slipped 0.38% to 19,142.71.

Asia Markets Today

• On Wednesday, Japan's Nikkei 225 closed 0.58% lower at 37,313.00, led by losses in the Paper & Pulp, Transport, and Communication sectors.
• Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.52%, ending the session at 8,386.80, led by gains in the Gold, Metals & Mining, and Resources sectors.
• India's Nifty 50 was up 0.58% at 24,828.80, and Nifty 500 rose 0.72% to 22,747.20.
• China's Shanghai Composite was up 0.21% at 3,387.57, and Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 was up 0.47% at 3,916.38.
• Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed the session 0.62% higher at 23,827.78.

Eurozone at 05:45 AM ET

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• The European STOXX 50 index was down 0.43%.
• Germany's DAX index declined 0.27%.
• France's CAC 40 fell 0.65%.
• The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index traded lower by 0.11%.

Commodities at 05:45 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 1.48% at $62.96/bbl, and Brent was up 1.38% at $66.26/bbl.
• Oil prices climbed over 1% as reports of a possible Israeli strike on Iran raised supply concerns. Tensions persist despite U.S.-Iran talks, while rising U.S. stockpiles and Kazakh output eased some pressure.
• Natural Gas declined 1.40% to $3.380.
• Gold was trading higher by 0.81% at $3,311.05, Silver was up 0.40% to $33.303, and Copper rose 0.10% to $4.6580.
• Gold rose on safe-haven demand after reports of a possible Israeli strike on Iran.

U.S. Futures at 05:45 AM ET

• Dow futures were down 0.70%, S&P 500 futures declined 0.65%, and Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.69%.
• U.S. futures fell Wednesday as economic worries, trade tensions, and rising yields pressured sentiment.

Forex at 05:45 AM ET

• The U.S. Dollar Index declined 0.37% to 99.66, USD/JPY was down 0.34% to 144.05, and USD/AUD fell 0.23% to 1.55308.
• The dollar fell further as Trump's tax bill stalled and investor confidence in U.S. assets waned.

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