On Friday, May 30, U.S. markets closed mixed. The S&P 500 ended flat but logged its strongest monthly gain since late last year, fueled by easing trade tensions, upbeat earnings, and subdued inflation. The Nasdaq also posted a solid monthly rise. Markets fluctuated on Trump’s conflicting trade signals, while investors held firm on rate cut expectations this fall.
In economic data, Consumer sentiment was revised to 52.2 in May from 50.8, while the Chicago PMI dropped to 40.5 from 44.6, indicating softer manufacturing.
Most S&P 500 sectors ended lower Friday, led by losses in energy, consumer discretionary, and tech. Consumer staples and utilities outperformed, closing higher.
The Dow closed higher by 0.13% at 42,270.07, the S&P 500 declined 0.01% to 5,911.69, and the Nasdaq fell 0.32% to 19,113.77.
Asia Markets Today
- On Monday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed 1.32% lower at 37,463.50, led by losses in the Paper & Pulp, Transport and Communication sectors.
- Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.24%, ending the session at 8,414.10, led by losses in the Energy, Resources, Metals & Mining sectors.
- India’s Nifty 50 was down 0.13% at 23,157.97, and Nifty 500 rose 0.14% to 22,833.45.
- China’s market was closed for the Dragon Boat Festival holiday.
- Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed the session 0.57% lower at 23,157.97.
Eurozone at 05:45 AM ET
- The European STOXX 50 index was down 0.80%.
- Germany’s DAX index declined 0.72%.
- France’s CAC 40 fell 0.69%.
- U.K.’s FTSE 100 index traded lower by 0.11%.
Commodities at 05:45 AM ET
- Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 3.57% at $62.97/bbl, and Brent was up 3.35% at $64.88/bbl.
- Oil prices rose as OPEC+ kept July output hikes steady at 411,000 bpd. Tight supply, strong demand, and U.S. fuel concerns also supported the rally.
- Natural gas rose 4.53% to $3.603.
- Gold traded higher by 1.67% to $3,371.21, Silver rose 1.22% to $33.428, and Copper was up 4.66% to $4.8955.
- Gold prices rose in Asian trade Monday amid renewed U.S.-China trade tensions and haven demand.
U.S. Futures at 05:45 AM ET
Dow Jones futures slid 0.50%, the S&P 500 declined 0.57%, and the Nasdaq 100 was down 0.73%.
Forex at 05:45 AM ET
- The U.S. Dollar Index declined 0.59% to 98.74, USD/JPY was down 0.81% to 142.89, and USD/AUD fell 0.79% to 1.5427.
- The U.S. dollar fell Monday amid Trump’s tariff threats, China’s pushback, recession fears, and rising fiscal concerns. Rate-cut bets and safe-haven doubts added further pressure.
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