Optimism about potential trade deals between the U.S. and its trading partners significantly improved market sentiment. The U.S.-U.K. trade deal as well as strong trade data from China also bolstered sentiment. Positive updates to corporate earnings also supported markets.
Wall Street Futures are trading above the flatline. Major markets in Europe are trading on a positive note. Asian markets finished trading on a mostly positive note. The six-currency Dollar Index declined. Bond yields hardened across regions. Hopes of easing in trade tensions lifted crude oil prices. Gold rebounded after Thursday's plunge. Cryptocurrencies surged ahead. Here is a snapshot of the major world markets at this hour.
Stock Indexes:
DJIA (US30) at 41,423.00, up 0.13% S&P 500 (US500) at 5,677.80, up 0.24%Germany's DAX at 23,495.02, up 0.62% U.K.'s FTSE 100 at 8,553.30, up 0.25% France's CAC 40 at 7,750.95, up 0.73%Euro Stoxx 50 at 5,314.45, up 0.48%Japan's Nikkei 225 at 37,503.33, up 1.56% Australia's S&P ASX 200 at 8,231.20, up 0.48%China's Shanghai Composite at 3,342.00, down 0.30% Hong Kong's Hang Seng at 22,867.74, up 0.40%
Currencies:
EUR/USD at 1.1255, up 0.24%GBP/USD at 1.3277, up 0.23%USD/JPY at 145.19, down 0.46%AUD/USD at 0.6404, down 0.02%USD/CAD at 1.3916, down 0.02% Dollar Index at 100.37, down 0.26%
Ten-Year Govt Bond Yields:
U.S. at 4.389%, up 0.37% Germany at 2.5675%, up 1.88%France at 3.280%, up 1.61%U.K. at 4.6420%, up 2.11%Japan at 1.370%, up 1.11%
Commodities:
Brent Oil Futures (Jul) at $64.01, up 1.86%.Crude Oil WTI Futures (Jun) at $61.13, up 2.04%.Gold Futures (Jun) at $3,338.69, up 0.99%.
Cryptocurrencies:
Bitcoin at $102,984.01, up 3.51%Ethereum at $2,337.41, up 19.26%XRP at $2.39, up 7.88%BNB at $637.84, up 3.92%Solana at $171.24, up 10.83%
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Business News
May 02, 2025 12:18 ET First quarter economic growth data and the latest purchasing managers’ survey results from several major economies dominated the economics news flow this week. Quarterly GDP data from the U.S. reflected the impact of the trade tariffs announced by the Trump administration. Inflation data based on the Fed’s preferred measure also attracted attention. In Asia, the Bank of Japan was in focus as the latest interest rate decision and macroeconomic projections were announced.