On Wednesday, February 5th, U.S. markets closed in green as investors overlooked Alphabet’s decline and focused on potential Federal Reserve rate cuts. AI-related stocks showed signs of recovery, with major chipmakers rebounding. AMD struggled due to weaker data center sales. Market attention now shifts to upcoming economic data and Fed policy expectations.
According to economic data, the U.S. trade deficit widened to $98.4 billion in December from $78.9 billion, exceeding the $96.6 billion forecast. The ISM services PMI fell to 52.8 in January from 54, missing the expected 54.3.
Most S&P 500 sectors rose, led by real estate, tech, and financials, while communication services and consumer discretionary declined.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.71% and closed at 44,873.28, the S&P 500 closed higher by 0.39% at 6,061.48, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.19% to finish at 19,692.33.
Aisa Markets Today
- On Thursday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed higher by 0.63% at 39,054.50, led by gains in the Manufacturing, Steel, Automobiles & Parts sectors.
- Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 1.23% to 8,520.70, led by gains in the Financials, Consumer Discretionary and Gold sectors.
- India’s Nifty 50 closed lower by 0.29% at 23,628.20, and the Nifty 500 slid 0.47%, closing at 21,682.90. The losses were led by fall in the Real Estate, Consumer Durables, and Public Sector Undertakings sectors.
- China’s Shanghai Composite rose 1.30% and closed at 3,271.43, while Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 rose 1.28% at 3,843.49.
- Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed the session higher by 1.43% at 20,891.62.
- China has filed a WTO complaint against Trump’s new 10% tariffs and de minimis exemption removal, citing protectionism. The move disrupts shipping, triggers trade uncertainty and fuels U.S.-China tensions.
Eurozone at 05:30 AM ET
- The European STOXX 50 was up 0.74%.
- Germany’s DAX rose 1.02%.
- France’s CAC gained 0.77%.
- U.K.’s FTSE index 100 traded higher by 1.30%
Commodities at 05:30 AM ET
- Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 0.92% at $71.69/bbl, and Brent was up 0.82% at $75.24/bbl.
- Oil prices edged up after Saudi Arabia raised March prices but remained near three-month lows due to U.S. crude stockpile builds and U.S.-China trade tariffs, including duties on energy products.
- Natural Gas gained 0.21% to $3.367.
- Gold was trading lower by 0.31% at $2,883.69, Silver was down 1.14% to $32.517, and Copper rose 0.93% to $4.4860.
U.S. Futures at 05:30 AM ET
Dow futures were up 0.35%, S&P 500 futures gained 0.22%, and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.17%.
Forex at 05:30 AM ET
- The U.S. Dollar Index gained 0.33% to 107.42, USD/JPY was up 0.01% to 152.60, and USD/AUD rose 0.31% to 1.5960.
- The U.S. dollar rose amid tariff uncertainty, while sterling weakened ahead of a Bank of England rate decision. Markets await U.S. job data, influencing future currency movements and global trade sentiment.
Photo by Pavel Bobrovskiy via Shutterstock
Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
