Markets reacted to the strong jobs report from the U.S. that defied expectations. Fading rate cut expectations from the Fed following the data release sobered sentiment.
Data released just a while ago showed monthly additions to non-farm payrolls unexpectedly increasing to 147 thousand. The unemployment rate also unexpectedly declined to 4.1 percent.
The CME FedWatch tool that tracks the expectations of interest rate traders shows probability of a rate cut in July at 6.7 percent versus 23.8 percent a day ago.Wall Street Futures are trading with mild gains. Major markets in Europe are trading above the flatline. Asian markets however finished trading on a mixed note.
The six-currency Dollar Index rebounded after three days of losses. Bond yields are trading in a mixed fashion. Crude oil prices slipped amidst trade tariff uncertainty and the anticipated output boost by OPEC+. Gold weakened amidst the Dollar's strength. Cryptocurrencies recorded a strong rally. Here is a snapshot of the major world markets at this hour.
Stock Indexes:
DJIA (US30) at 44,570.50, up 0.19% S&P 500 (US500) at 6,251.60, up 0.39%Germany's DAX at 23,861.90, up 0.33% U.K.'s FTSE 100 at 8,812.73, up 0.43% France's CAC 40 at 7,753.81, up 0.20%Euro Stoxx 50 at 5,327.85, up 0.17%Japan's Nikkei 225 at 39,785.90, up 0.06% Australia's S&P ASX 200 at 8,595.80, down 0.02%China's Shanghai Composite at 3,461.15, up 0.18% Hong Kong's Hang Seng at 24,069.94, down 0.63%
Currencies:
EUR/USD at 1.1762, down 0.31%GBP/USD at 1.3644, up 0.04%USD/JPY at 144.81, up 0.79%AUD/USD at 0.6563, down 0.29%USD/CAD at 1.3591, up 0.01% Dollar Index at 97.15, up 0.39%
Ten-Year Govt Bond Yields:
U.S. at 4.330%, up 0.93% Germany at 2.5960%, down 0.92%France at 3.300%, down 0.60%U.K. at 4.5690%, down 1.13%Japan at 1.458%, up 1.32%
Commodities:
Brent Oil Futures (Sep) at $68.81, down 0.43%.Crude Oil WTI Futures (Aug) at $67.23, down 0.33%.Gold Futures (Aug) at $3,340.56, down 0.57%.
Cryptocurrencies:
Bitcoin at $109,365.05, up 1.63%Ethereum at $2,589.64, up 5.88%XRP at $2.28, up 4.75%BNB at $661.12, up 0.54%Solana at $153.09, up 2.95%
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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.