Sentiment in global markets remains tethered to anxiety surrounding the FOMC decision to be known by Wednesday afternoon. The Fed is widely expected to keep rates steady. The uncertain geopolitical situation in the Middle East as well as earnings updates also shaped market movements.
The CME FedWatch tool that tracks the expectations of interest rate traders shows the likelihood of a status quo by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday at 100 percent. It was 100 percent a day ago as well.
Wall Street Futures have declined. Benchmarks in Europe are trading on a negative note. Earlier in the day, Asian markets had finished trading on a mostly positive note.
The 6-currency Dollar Index which measures the U.S. Dollar's strength against a basket of 6 currencies has edged up. Sovereign bond yields mostly hardened amidst worries about inflation, and interest rates remaining high for longer than expected.
Both the crude oil benchmarks are trading with overnight gains of around 4 percent as markets digest UAE's exit from OPEC as well as the continuing blockade of Strait of Hormuz. Gold has slipped almost a percent ahead of the Fed's decision and forward guidance. Cryptocurrencies have rebounded. Here is a snapshot of the major world markets at this hour.
Stock Indexes:
DJIA (US30) at 48,904.10, down 0.47% S&P 500 (US500) at 7,130.80, down 0.11%Germany's DAX at 24,000.91, down 0.16% U.K.'s FTSE 100 at 10,258.85, down 0.72% France's CAC 40 at 8,079.72, down 0.30%Euro Stoxx 50 at 5,824.15, down 0.18% Japan's Nikkei 225 at 59,917.46, down 1.02% (April 28)Australia's S&P ASX 200 at 8,687.00, down 0.27%China's Shanghai Composite at 4,107.51, up 0.71%Hong Kong's Hang Seng at 26,111.84, up 1.68% South Korea's KOSPI at 6,690.90, up 0.75%
Currencies:
EUR/USD at 1.1696, down 0.15%GBP/USD at 1.3502, down 0.13%USD/JPY at 159.96, up 0.26%AUD/USD at 0.7156, down 0.33%USD/CAD at 1.3677, up 0.00% Dollar Index at 98.73, up 0.10%
Ten-Year Govt Bond Yields:
U.S. at 4.373%, up 0.46% Germany at 3.0770%, up 0.52%France at 3.738%, up 0.56%U.K. at 5.0120%, up 0.14%Japan at 2.464%, down 0.20%
Commodities:
Brent Oil Futures (Jul) at $108.38, up 3.81%.Crude Oil WTI Futures (Jun) at $103.95, up 4.02%.Gold Futures (Jun) at $4,570.46, down 0.82%. Silver Futures (May) at $72.33, down 1.22%.
Cryptocurrencies:
Bitcoin at $77,158.44, up 1.10%Ethereum at $2,314.02, up 1.60%XRP at $1.38, up 0.01%BNB at $623.24, up 0.14%Solana at $84.15, up 0.74%
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April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.