Asia Markets Mixed, Europe Gains; Oil Prices Near Two-Month Low – Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Tuesday, February 25, U.S. markets closed mixed, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hitting a one-month low amid declining consumer confidence. The Conference Board reported the sharpest drop since August 2021, highlighting economic uncertainty. Analysts cite cautious consumer spending, political concerns, and risk-averse sentiment as key factors driving market hesitation.

In December, the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index climbed 4.5% year-over-year, up from 4.3% in November. Meanwhile, the FHFA house price index saw a 0.4% increase for the month.

Most S&P 500 sectors declined, with losses in tech and energy, while consumer staples and real estate posted gains.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.37% to close at 43,621.16, while the S&P 500 declined 0.47% to 5,955.25, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.35% to 19,026.39.

Asia Markets Today

• On Wednesday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.20% to 38,148.50, led by losses in the Precision Instruments, Non-Metal Minerals and Shipbuilding sectors.
• Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.14% to 8,240.70, led by losses in the Gold, Metals & Mining and Materials sectors.
• India markets closed for the Mahashivratri holiday.
• China’s Shanghai Composite gained 1.02% to 3,380.21, and the Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 rose 0.87% to close at 3,959.94.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 3.27%, ending the session at 23,787.93.

Eurozone at 05:30 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 was up 1.07%.
• Germany’s DAX gained 1.37%.
• France’s CAC rose 1.06%.
• U.K.’s FTSE 100 index traded higher by 0.63%

Commodities at 05:30 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 0.01% at $68.94/bbl, and Brent was down 0.06% at $72.46/bbl.
• Oil prices hovered near two-month lows as hopes for a Russia-Ukraine peace deal pressured markets, while a U.S.-Ukraine minerals agreement added uncertainty. Lower U.S. crude stockpiles provided some support, but concerns over Trump’s trade policies weighed on sentiment.
• Natural Gas declined 0.39% to $4.113.
• Gold was trading higher by 0.29% at $2,927.16, Silver was up 0.90% to $32.115, and Copper rose 3.36% to $4.6920.     

U.S. Futures at 05:30 AM ET

Dow futures were up 0.23%, S&P 500 futures gained 0.46%, and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.76%.

Forex at 05:30 AM ET

• The U.S. dollar index rose 0.18% to 106.48, the USD/JPY rose 0.22% to 149.36, and the USD/AUD rose 0.36% to 1.5818.
• The U.S. dollar rose slightly from an 11-week low as Treasury yields rebounded amid economic uncertainty and tariff concerns.

Photo by Pavel Bobrovskiy via Shutterstock