Lingering anxiety about the Federal Reserve's monetary policy manifested in risk-off sentiment ahead of the scheduled release of the minutes of the previous FOMC on Wednesday afternoon. Optimism generated by the Ukraine peace talks faded as markets factored in the uncertain situation. Markets also worried about Fed Chair Jerome Powell's comments at the Jackson Hole symposium later in the week.
Wall Street Futures are trading close to the flatline. Benchmarks in Europe are trading on a mostly positive note. Earlier, Asian markets finished trading on a mostly positive note.
The six-currency Dollar Index is trading flat. Ten-year bond yields are trading on a mixed note. Crude oil prices rallied amidst a larger-than-expected decline in inventories in the U.S. and uncertainty regarding a Ukraine peace deal. Gold too gained amidst renewed safe-haven demand. Cryptocurrencies are trading deep in the red amidst growing risk aversion. Here is a snapshot of the major world markets at this hour.
Stock Indexes:
DJIA (US30) at 44,932.00, up 0.02% S&P 500 (US500) at 6,408.10, down 0.05%Germany's DAX at 24,343.81, down 0.38% U.K.'s FTSE 100 at 9,239.75, up 0.55% France's CAC 40 at 7,994.54, up 0.19%Euro Stoxx 50 at 5,487.55, up 0.08%Japan's Nikkei 225 at 42,888.55, down 1.51% Australia's S&P ASX 200 at 8,918.00, up 0.25%China's Shanghai Composite at 3,766.21, up 1.04% Hong Kong's Hang Seng at 25,165.94, up 0.17%
Currencies:
EUR/USD at 1.1644, down 0.03%GBP/USD at 1.3472, down 0.14%USD/JPY at 147.53, down 0.09%AUD/USD at 0.6432, down 0.37%USD/CAD at 1.3872, up 0.07% Dollar Index at 98.28, up 0.01%
Ten-Year Govt Bond Yields:
U.S. at 4.305%, up 0.07% Germany at 2.7363%, down 0.64%France at 3.433%, down 0.17%U.K. at 4.6970%, down 0.99%Japan at 1.613%, up 1.32%
Commodities:
Brent Oil Futures (Oct) at $66.58, up 1.20%.Crude Oil WTI Futures (Oct) at $62.63, up 1.39%.Gold Futures (Dec) at $3,375.75, up 0.51%.
Cryptocurrencies:
Bitcoin at $113,385.56, down 1.94%Ethereum at $4,165.52, down 3.28%XRP at $2.86, down 4.90%BNB at $827.29, down 2.21%Solana at $178.81, down 1.98%
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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.