Mixed earnings and weak forward guidance from the corporate sector pressured sentiment in equity markets worldwide. The unexpected decline in ISM Manufacturing PMI readings that indicated an eighth consecutive month of contraction in the manufacturing sector reignited concerns about the health of the U.S. economy.
Wall Street Futures are trading in negative territory. Benchmarks in Europe are trading deep in the red. Asian markets closed on a heavily negative note.
The six-currency Dollar Index extended gains amidst uncertainty about the Fed's next rate cut. Ten-year bond yields mostly eased. Both the crude oil benchmarks are trading below the flatline amidst renewed fears about oversupply. Gold prices declined again. Cryptocurrencies plunged.
Here is a snapshot of the major world markets at this hour.
Stock Indexes:
DJIA (US30) at 47,034.80, down 0.64% S&P 500 (US500) at 6,786.20, down 0.96%Germany's DAX at 23,808.50, down 1.25% U.K.'s FTSE 100 at 9,638.95, down 0.64% France's CAC 40 at 8,010.91, down 1.22%Euro Stoxx 50 at 5,614.90, up down 1.13% Japan's Nikkei 225 at 51,571.00, down 1.60% Australia's S&P ASX 200 at 8,813.70, down 0.91%China's Shanghai Composite at 3,960.19, down 0.41%Hong Kong's Hang Seng at 25,952.40, down 0.79%
Currencies:
EUR/USD at 1.1502, down 0.15%GBP/USD at 1.3068, down 0.56%USD/JPY at 153.46, down 0.51%AUD/USD at 0.6500, down 0.55%USD/CAD at 1.4074, up 0.13% Dollar Index at 100.00, up 0.12%
Ten-Year Govt Bond Yields:
U.S. at 4.090%, down 0.41% Germany at 2.6505%, down 0.47%France at 3.437%, down 0.09%U.K. at 4.4200%, down 0.41%Japan at 1.676%, up 1.02%
Commodities:
Brent Oil Futures (Jan) at $64.00, down 1.37%.Crude Oil WTI Futures (Dec) at $60.10, down 1.56%.Gold Futures (Dec) at $4,004.90, down 0.23%.
Cryptocurrencies:
Bitcoin at $103,909.95, down 3.05%Ethereum at $3,496.49, down 5.20%XRP at $2.26, down 5.19%BNB at $954.18, down 5.89%Solana at $160.66, down 8.10%
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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.