Asia Market Mixed, Europe Dips; US Futures Slide On Slowdown Fears – Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Friday, March 7th, U.S. markets closed higher after rebounding from early losses, following remarks by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell that the economy remains “in a good place.” However, he cautioned against expecting rapid interest rate cuts, emphasizing a cautious approach.

Despite the late-week rally, persistent uncertainty over U.S. trade policy—especially concerning tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China—contributed to the S&P 500’s recording its worst weekly performance since September.

In economic data, February’s jobs report showed the U.S. added 151,000 jobs—up from January but below the 160,000 forecast. The unemployment rate unexpectedly rose to 4.1%, slightly above the 4.0% estimate.

Most S&P 500 sectors rose Friday, led by utilities, tech, and energy, while consumer staples and financials declined.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.54% to close at 42,801.72, the S&P 500 gained 0.55% to 5,770.20, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 0.70% to 18,196.22.

Asia Markets Today

• On Monday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.34% to 36,990.00, led by gains in the Power, Rubber and Chemical, Petroleum & Plastic sectors.
• Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.18%, closing at 7,962.30, led by gains in the Energy, Gold and Resources sectors.
• India’s Nifty 50 was down 0.49% to 22,441.10, while the Nifty 500 slipped 1.02% to 20,234.80.
• China’s Shanghai Composite declined 0.19% to 3,366.16, and the Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 fell 0.39% to 3,928.80.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.85%, ending the session at 23,783.49.

Eurozone at 06:00 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 was down 0.70%.
• Germany’s DAX declined 0.71%.
• France’s CAC fell 0.39%.
• U.K.’s FTSE 100 index traded lower by 0.40%

Commodities at 06:00 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 0.27% at $67.22/bbl, and Brent was up 0.28% at $70.57/bbl.
• Oil prices steadied Monday amid tariff uncertainty, rising OPEC+ output, and weak global demand. WTI marked its seventh weekly loss, while Brent fell for a third straight week.
• Natural Gas gained 4.35% to $4.588.
• Gold was trading higher by 0.06% at $2,915.81, Silver was up 0.64% to $33.020, and Copper slipped 0.62% to $4.6805.

U.S. Futures at 06:00 AM ET

• Dow futures were down 0.80%, S&P 500 futures fell 1.00% and Nasdaq 100 futures slid 1.15%.
• U.S. stock futures fell Monday amid tariff uncertainty, recession fears, and weak Chinese inflation data.

Forex at 06:00 AM ET

The U.S. Dollar Index slipped 0.14% to 103.70, USD/JPY was down 0.64% to 147.08, and USD/AUD declined 0.30% to 1.5811.

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