Asia Markets Mixed, Eurozone Gains; Oil Rises On Trade Deal Hopes - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Thursday, May 8th, U.S. markets closed higher after a new trade deal between the U.S. and the U.K. lowered tariffs and secured major Boeing orders, boosting airline and industrial shares. Investors were further encouraged by Trump's hints at meaningful China talks.

Markets rose broadly, with small-cap and semiconductor stocks gaining despite ongoing concerns over inflation and the labor market.

In economic data, U.S. jobless claims fell by 13,000 to 228,000 last week, beating estimates of 230,000. Labor productivity dropped 0.8% in Q1, more than the expected 0.7% decline.

Most S&P 500 sectors rose on Thursday, led by industrials, consumer discretionary, and energy, while health care and utilities closed lower.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.62% at 41,368.45, the S&P 500 gained 0.58% to 5,663.94, and the Nasdaq rose 1.07% to 17,928.14.

Asia Markets Today

• On Friday, Japan's Nikkei 225 closed 1.51% higher at 37,485.50, led by gains in the Real Estate, Banking, and Textile sectors.
• Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.48%, ending the session at 8,231.20, led by gains in the IT, Financials, and Consumer Staples sectors.
• India's Nifty 50 was down 1.14% at 23,996.65, and Nifty 500 fell 0.84% to 21,662.20.
• China's Shanghai Composite declined 0.30% to 3,342.00, and Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 was down 0.17% at 3,846.16.
• Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed the session 0.40% higher at 22,867.74.

Eurozone at 05:45 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 index was up 0.40%.
• Germany's DAX index gained 0.58%.
• France's CAC 40 rose 0.67%.
• U.K.'s FTSE 100 index traded higher by 0.46%.

Commodities at 05:45 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 1.72% at $60.93/bbl, and Brent was up 1.59% at $63.84/bbl.
• Oil prices rose, heading for weekly gains, as U.S.-China trade tensions eased and Britain reached a trade deal. OPEC+ output shifts and Iran sanctions added supply pressures.
• Natural Gas gained 1.56% to $3.648.
• Gold was trading higher by 0.72% at $3,329.81, Silver was up 0.49% to $32.775, and Copper fell 0.02% to $4.6030.

U.S. Futures at 05:45 AM ET

Dow futures were down 0.08%, S&P 500 futures gained 0.09%, and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.20%.

Forex at 05:45 AM ET

• The U.S. Dollar Index declined 0.22% to 100.42, USD/JPY was down 0.45% to 145.21, and USD/AUD slid 0.01% to 1.5626.
• The dollar rose this week on U.S.-China trade hopes and fewer Fed rate cut bets, while the euro, yen, and sterling slipped; bitcoin and Asian currencies surged.

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