Euphoria that gripped world markets following the lower-than-expected inflation readings from the U.S. continued for the second day. Markets hope the recent price indicators would allow the Fed to go slow on its rate hikes, providing much needed respite. Relaxations in Covid curbs by China also added to the positive sentiment. Uncertainty surrounding the mid-term elections in the U.S. and the growth contraction reported from U.K. did not materially alter the buoyant market sentiment.
Asian stocks finished on a strong positive note. European benchmarks too are trading mostly higher. Wall Street futures too imply strong opening.
Dollar weakened, dragging the Dollar Index lower. Bond yields moved mixed. Crude prices surged following an easing in China's Covid curbs. Gold surged ahead. Cryptocurrencies rebounded emphatically.
Here is a snapshot of the world markets at this hour across stocks, currencies, bonds, commodities and cryptocurrencies.
Stock Indexes:
DJIA (US30) at 33,831.30, up 0.34% S&P 500 (US500) at 3,969.80, up 0.34% Germany's DAX at 14,191.50, up 0.32% U.K.'s FTSE 100 at 7,363.95, down 0.15% France's CAC 40 at 6,583.30, up 0.40% Euro Stoxx 50 at 3,865.75, up 0.50%Japan's Nikkei 225 at 28,263.57, up 2.98%Australia's S&P ASX 200 at 7,158.00, up 2.79% China's Shanghai Composite at 3,087.29, up 1.69% Hong Kong's Hang Seng at 17,325.66, up 7.74%
Currencies:
EURUSD at 1.0259, up 0.49%GBPUSD at 1.1745, up 0.27%USDJPY at 139.51, down 1.02%AUDUSD at 0.6662, up 0.68%USDCAD at 1.3312, down 0.05%Dollar Index at 107.22, down 0.91%
Ten-Year Govt Bond Yields:
U.S. at 3.811%, down 0.48% Germany at 2.051%, up 2.35%France at 2.558%, up 2.46%U.K. at 3.3530%, up 2.01%Japan at 0.234%, down 2.71%
Commodities:
Crude Oil WTI Futures (Dec) at $89.38, up 3.37%Brent Oil Futures (Jan) at $96.53, up 3.05%Gold Futures (Dec) at $1,769.45, up 0.90%
Cryptocurrencies:
Bitcoin at $17,377.60, up 4.13%Ethereum at $1,279.27, up 6.72%BNB at $296.04, up 6.81% XRP at $0.3917, up 8.11%Cardano (ADA) at $0.3618, up 2.65%
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April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.