Markets remain mixed on Middle East news
Markets fluctuated on Wednesday but improved from their Tuesday close, just barely. Wall Street had dipped following Iran’s missile attack against Israel, and markets have continued to cool off from record highs reached last week.
- S&P 500 Futures: 5,762.25 ⬆️ up 0.043%
- S&P 500: 5,709.54 ⬆️ up 0.014%
- Nasdaq Composite: 17,925.12 ⬆️ up 0.082%
- Dow Jones Industrial Average: 42,196.52 ⬆️ up 0.094%
- STOXX Europe 600: 521.14 ⬆️ up 0.050%
- Hang Seng Index: 22,443.73 ⬆️ up 6.20%
- Nikkei 225: 37,808.76 ⬇️ down 2.18%
- Bitcoin: $60,299.80 ⬇️ down 0.71%
US: Markets recover after missile rattling
The S&P 500 remained largely flat in afternoon trading, closing up 0.014%. The Nasdaq held steady, closing with a 0.082% gain, as did the Dow, closing up 0.094%. The steadying from yesterday’s dips comes on the heels of an ADP report showing private-sector hiring accelerated to 143,000 jobs, which may be a positive sign ahead of the U.S. government’s official jobs report due on Friday. Fan favorite Nvidia closed up 1.85% while Nike was down 6.77% on news the company was withdrawing its guidance.
Europe: Indexes steady on Middle East news
The Stoxx Europe 600 was little changed Wednesday, closing up 0.050%. The index saw drops across retail, utilities, and travel while there were gains in the energy sector. With oil prices rising on Middle East tensions, defense and energy stocks such as Leonardo, Equinor, BAE, Shell and Total were some of the biggest gainers. Airlines that saw flights affected by the Iran-Israel conflict fell.
China: Hong Kong surges on housing policy boost from Beijing
With mainland China markets closed, Hong Kong saw a 6.2% rally fueled by optimism over new measures from Beijing aimed at supporting the struggling property sector and financial markets. Property companies, including Longfor, Hang Lung Properties, and China Overseas Land & Investment, each saw gains exceeding 15%.
Japan: Markets decline amid oil price concerns
The Nikkei 225 dropped 2.18%, following a 1.93% rise the previous day. Fears of a potential conflict in the Middle East driving up oil prices weighed heavily on Japan, a nation heavily dependent on energy imports, overshadowing the positive economic data that had driven gains on Tuesday.
