Markets Await European Meeting Cues, Fed Fears Linger

Markets braced for the outcome of the meetings between the U.S. and its European allies amidst the war in eastern Europe. Fears of a potential delisting of Chinese tech stocks and of faster rate hikes by the Fed also impacted sentiment across stocks, currencies, bonds, commodities and cryptocurrencies. Here is a snapshot….

Asian stocks finished mixed amidst losses in tech stocks at the Shanghai Composite and Hang Seng. European benchmarks are mostly in green zone. American stock futures too indicate positive opening. The Dollar Index weakened mildly. Bond yields surged in the U.S. but eased in Europe. Crude prices weakened as the E.U. appeared split on imposing oil embargo on Russia. Brent crude ranged between $115.69 and $119.81. Gold survived near the flatline on safe-haven demand, as the geopolitical stalemate persisted. Cryptocurrencies extended gains amidst reports that Russia was ready to accept oil and gas payments in Bitcoin.

Stock Indexes:

DJIA (US30) at 34,734.30, up 0.08%
S&P 500 (US500) at 4,522.20 up 0.05%
Germany’s DAX at 14,330.14, up 0.39%
U.K.’s FTSE 100 at 7,458.63, down 0.12%
France’s CAC 40 at 6,571.98, up 0.25%
Euro Stoxx 50 at 3,876.15, up 0.33%
Japan’s Nikkei 225 at 28,149.84, up 0.14%
Australia’s S&P ASX 200 at 7,406.20, up 0.26%
China’s Shanghai Composite at 3,212.24, down 1.17%
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng at 21,404.88, down 2.47%

Currencies:

EURUSD at 1.1013, up 0.15%
GBPUSD at 1.3169 down 0.10%
USDJPY at 121.58, down 0.61%
AUDUSD at 0.7508, down 0.05%
USDCAD at 1.2541, up 0.12%
Dollar Index at 98.67, down 0.13%

Ten-Year Govt Bond Yields:

U.S. at 2.356%, up 0.63%
Germany at 0.4990%, down 5.31%
France at 0.938%, down 3.79%
U.K. at 1.6050%, down 2.61%
Japan at 0.235%, up 2.17%

Commodities:

Crude Oil WTI Futures (May) at $109.88, down 2.19%
Brent Oil Futures (May) at $116.52, down 2.11%
Gold Futures (April) at $1,959.10, down 0.16%

Cryptocurrencies:

Bitcoin at $43,994.74, up 2.03%
Ethereum at $3,123.15, up 2.17%
BNB at $412.86, up 0.13%
XRP at $0.8349, down 0.63%
Cardano at $1.13, down 0.97%

Source: Read Full Article