Strong rate cut expectations from the Fed continued to dominate sentiment in global markets. Investors digested a fresh set of corporate earnings. Markets also cheered the French govt surviving the no-confidence vote. Tensions between U.S. and China on the trade front also swayed market sentiment.
Wall Street Futures are trading with mild gains. Benchmarks in Europe are trading mixed. France's CAC 40 was boosted by signs of easing political tensions. Asian markets finished trading on a mostly positive note.
The six-currency Dollar Index extended losses. Ten-year bond yields are trading in a mixed fashion. Both the crude oil benchmarks rebounded amidst reports that quoted President Trump as saying that India had agreed to stop buying oil from Russia. Gold futures (for December settlement) touched a fresh all-time high above $4,266. Bearish sentiment prevails in crypto markets.
Here is a snapshot of the major world markets at this hour.
Stock Indexes:
DJIA (US30) at 46,367.20, up 0.25% S&P 500 (US500) at 6,696.80, up 0.39%Germany's DAX at 24,172.15, down 0.16% U.K.'s FTSE 100 at 9,402.75, down 0.23% France's CAC 40 at 8,150.79, up 0.91%Euro Stoxx 50 at 5,627.45, up 0.40% Japan's Nikkei 225 at 48,307.00, up 1.33%Australia's S&P ASX 200 at 9,068.40, up 0.86%China's Shanghai Composite at 3,916.23, up 0.10%Hong Kong's Hang Seng at 25,888.51, down 0.09%
Currencies:
EUR/USD at 1.1653, up 0.05%GBP/USD at 1.3430, up 0.20%USD/JPY at 151.19, up 0.08%AUD/USD at 0.6498, down 0.14%USD/CAD at 1.4055, up 0.08% Dollar Index at 98.64, down 0.16%
Ten-Year Govt Bond Yields:
U.S. at 4.020%, down 0.64% Germany at 2.5704%, up 0.48%France at 3.336%, up 0.12%U.K. at 4.5220%, down 0.62%Japan at 1.661%, up 0.67%
Commodities:
Brent Oil Futures (Dec) at $62.27, up 0.58%.Crude Oil WTI Futures (Nov) at $58.65, up 0.65%.Gold Futures (Dec) at $4,260.35, up 1.40%.
Cryptocurrencies:
Bitcoin at $111,233.07, down 0.74%Ethereum at $4,056.36, down 1.27%BNB at $1,179.83, up 0.44%XRP at $2.44, down 2.07%Solana at $196.34, down 3.32%
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Forex 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.