Despite the respite provided in the recent speech by the Fed Chair, world markets remained in a cautious mode in anticipation of the crucial payrolls data from the U.S., that could make or mar the Fed's stated commitment to soften the fight against inflation.
Asian stocks finished trading on a negative note. European benchmarks are also trading mostly lower. Wall Street Futures have also edged lower. Dollar Index touched a 3-month low. Bond yields eased further, pricing in the hints in the recent speech by the Fed Chair. Crude oil prices were muted ahead of the OPEC+ meeting. Gold hovered close to the flatline. Cryptocurrencies mostly traded in negative territory. Here is a snapshot of the world markets at this hour across stocks, currencies, bonds, commodities and cryptocurrencies.
Stock Indexes:
DJIA (US30) at 34,355.60, down 0.11% S&P 500 (US500) at 4,073.30, down 0.08% Germany's DAX at 14,513.25, up 0.16% U.K.'s FTSE 100 at 7,530.40, down 0.37% France's CAC 40 at 6,733.37, down 0.31% Euro Stoxx 50 at 3,977.45, down 0.18%Japan's Nikkei 225 at 27,777.90, down 1.59%Australia's S&P ASX 200 at 7,301.50, down 0.72% China's Shanghai Composite at 3,156.14, down 0.29% Hong Kong's Hang Seng at 18,675.35, down 0.33%
Currencies:
EURUSD at 1.0541, up 0.18%GBPUSD at 1.2292, up 0.32%USDJPY at 133.69, down 1.16%AUDUSD at 0.6833, up 0.35%USDCAD at 1.3429, down 0.02%Dollar Index at 104.39, down 0.32%
Ten-Year Govt Bond Yields:
U.S. at 3.521%, down 0.18% Germany at 1.7865%, down 2.06%France at 2.245%, down 1.36%U.K. at 3.0760%, down 0.81%Japan at 0.252%, down 1.37%
Commodities:
Brent Oil Futures (Feb) at $86.73, down 0.17%Crude Oil WTI Futures (Jan) at $80.94, down 0.34%Gold Futures (Feb) at $1,815.05, down 0.01%
Cryptocurrencies:
Bitcoin at $16,963.37, down 0.79%Ethereum at $1,276.59, down 0.38%BNB at $289.58, down 3.11% XRP at $0.3901, down 2.67%Dogecoin (DOGE) at $0.09944, down 3.71%
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Business News
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.