Asia Market Slip, Europe Mixed, Gold Nears Record High – Global Markets Today While US Slept – SmartETFs Asia Pacific Dividend Builder ETF (ARCA:ADIV)

On Wednesday, March 12, U.S. markets ended combined as softer-than-expected inflation information raised expect Fed rate cuts, partly balancing out financier issues over intensifying trade stress. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed greater, driven by tech stocks while growing tariff conflicts under Trump continued to stir economic crisis worries and market volatility.

In financial information, the Customer Cost Index (CPI) was up to 2.8% year-over-year in February, below 3%, beating expectations for a more modest decrease to 2.9%. Core inflation likewise cooled more than prepared for, slipping from 3.3% to 3.1%.

The majority of S&P 500 sectors ended higher, led by gains in customer discretionary, tech, and interaction services. Customer staples and healthcare lagged, closing lower.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.20% to close at 41,350.93, the S&P 500 increased 0.49% to 5,599.30, and the Nasdaq Composite got 1.22% to 17,648.45.

Asia Markets Today

• On Thursday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.03% to 36,808.50, led by losses in the Shipbuilding, Production, and Solutions sectors.
• Australia’s S&P/ ASX 200 was down 0.48%, closing at 7,749.10, led by losses in the Customer Staples, Customer Discretionary and Financials sectors.
• India’s Nifty 50 was down 0.39% at 22,382.90 and the Cool 500 moved 0.51% to 20,160.95.
• China’s Shanghai Composite decreased 0.39% to 3,358.73, and the Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 fell 0.40% to 3,911.58.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng moved 0.58%, ending the session at 23,462.65.

Eurozone at 05:45 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 was up 0.11%.
• Germany’s DAX decreased 0.03%.
• France’s CAC increased 0.07%.
• U.K.’s FTSE 100 index traded greater by 0.45%

Products at 05:45 AM ET

• Petroleum WTI was trading lower by 0.52% at $67.32/ bbl, and Brent was down 0.41% at $70.67/ bbl.
• Oil costs held constant Thursday after a sharp increase on falling U.S. fuel stocks. Strong need outlook well balanced economic crisis worries, trade stress, and increasing OPEC+ output keeping markets unsure.
• Gas got 0.02% to $4.086.
• Gold was trading greater by 0.34% at $2,956.74, Silver was down 0.31% to $33.635, and Copper fell 0.40% to $4.8300.

U.S. Futures at 05:45 AM ET

Dow futures were down 0.06%, S&P 500 futures fell 0.12% and Nasdaq 100 futures decreased 0.21%.

Forex at 05:45 AM ET

The U.S. Dollar Index got 0.11% to 103.69, USD/JPY was down 0.08% to 148.12, and USD/AUD got 0.15% to 1.5903.

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