Asia And Europe Markets Dip, While US Dollar Strengthens - Global Markets Today While US Slept - SmartETF

　　On Thursday, June 20, U.S. stock markets closed mixed as Nvidia retreated from earlier gains, and investors evaluated economic data and Federal Reserve comments for clues on potential interest-rate cuts.

　　According to the economic data, U.S. jobless claims fell by 5,000 to 238,000 in the week ending June 15, slightly above expectations. The four-week moving average rose to 232,750, the highest since September 2023. In May 2024, housing stats dropped 5.5% to 1.27 million, below forecasts, and building permits fell 3.8% to 1.386 million.

　　The Philadelphia Feds general activity index fell to 1.3 in June, with employment levels continuing to decline despite a slight rise in the employment index.

　　Energy and utilities were the top performers among the 11 S&P 500 sector indexes, while technology experienced the largest decline.

　　The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.77% and closed at 39,134.76. The S&P 500 declined 0.25%, ending the day at 5,473.17, and the Nasdaq Composite slid 0.81%, finishing the session at 17,717.90.

　　Asian Markets Today

• 　　On Friday, Japans Nikkei 225 declined 0.07%, ending the session at 38,621.00, led by losses in the Shipbuilding, Railway & Bus and Steel sectors.

• 　　Australias S&P/ASX 200 closed higher at 0.34%, ending the day at 7,796.00, led by gains in the Gold, Utilities, and Energy sectors.

• 　　Indias Nifty 50 closed lower by 0.28% at 23,501.10, and Nifty 500 fell 0.31% at 22,236.20.

• 　　Chinas Shanghai Composite was down 0.24%, ending the session at 2,998.14, and the Shenzhen CSI fell 0.22%, closing at 3,495.62.

• 　　Hong Kongs Hang Seng ended the session lower by 1.53% at 18,053.96.

　　Eurozone at 06:15 AM ET

• 　　The European STOXX 50 index declined 0.79%.

• 　　Germanys DAX fell 0.47%.

• 　　Frances CAC was down 0.60%.

• 　　U.K.s FTSE 100 traded lower by 0.93%.

　　Commodities at 06:15 AM ET

• 　　Crude Oil WTI was trading lower by 0.04% at $81.26/bbl, and Brent was down 0.06% at $85.66 bbl.

• 　　Natural Gas declined 1.93% to $2.687.

• 　　Gold was trading higher by 0.27% at $2,375.60, Silver fell 1.22% to $30.448, and Copper was down 1.59% to $4.4895.

　　US Futures at 06:15 AM ET

　　Dow futures were down 0.15%, S&P 500 futures slid 0.13%, and Nasdaq 100 Futures declined 0.08%.

　　Forex at 06:15 AM ET

　　The U.S. Dollar Index gained 0.13% to 105.72, USD/JPY was up 0.03% at 158.95, and USD/AUD rose 0.13% to 1.5043.

　　The U.S. dollar remains strong due to a relatively hawkish Fed, despite weak housing and labor market data. The Fed is cautious about cutting rates, reducing its forecast for this year from three to one.