World markets remained cautious amidst talks between Russia and Ukraine and peace rhetoric that did not correspond to the military action. Here is a snapshot at this hour spanning stocks, currencies, bonds, commodities and cryptocurrencies.
Asian stocks finished mostly higher amidst a strong rally in Chinese benchmarks. European indices dropped, as "gas" dampened sentiment. American stock futures indicate losses on opening. The Dollar Index dropped as positive signs emerged from peace talks. Bond yields spiked and U.S. 10-year yields dropped below 5-year rates, triggering fears whether the inversion portended a recession. Crude prices increased as supply concerns and fears of further sanctions on Russia re-emerged ahead of the OPEC+ meeting scheduled for Thursday. Gold gained as the dollar retreated. Cryptocurrencies dropped as another crypto heist sent shockwaves. Stock Indexes:
DJIA (US30) at 35,212.10, down 1.23% S&P 500 (US500) at 4,618.20 down 0.29% Germany's DAX at 14,637.39, down 1.23%U.K.'s FTSE 100 at 7,539.55, up 0.03% France's CAC 40 at 6,740.85, down 0.76%Euro Stoxx 50 at 3,968.05, down 0.85%Japan's Nikkei 225 at 28,027.25, down 0.80% Australia's S&P ASX 200 at 7,514.50, up 0.67% China's Shanghai Composite at 3,266.60, up 1.96% Hong Kong's Hang Seng at 22,232.03, up 1.39%
Currencies:
EURUSD at 1.1126, up 0.37%GBPUSD at 1.3135 up 0.39%USDJPY at 121.88, down 0.79%AUDUSD at 0.7522, up 0.21%Dollar Index at 98.05, down 0.36%
Ten-Year Govt Bond Yields:
U.S. at 2.407%, up 0.30% Germany at 0.6645%, up 3.67%France at 1.087%, up 2.50%U.K. at 1.6590%, up 0.61%Japan at 0.220%, up 2.57%
Commodities:
Crude Oil WTI Futures (May) at $106.41, up 2.08%Brent Oil Futures (June) at $109.82, up 1.96%Gold Futures (April) at $1,917.85, up 0.30%
Cryptocurrencies:
Bitcoin at $47,290.06, down 0.82%Ethereum at $3,392.20, down 1.03%BNB at $436.67, down 0.25% XRP at $0.8623, down 1.61%Cardano at $1.19, down 1.89%
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May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.