On Friday, March 21, U.S. markets closed in green after President Trump signaled flexibility on upcoming tariffs and plans for trade talks with China. Markets, pressured by trade and policy uncertainty, saw some recovery this week. Fed officials emphasized patience on rate changes, citing the need to assess the economic impact of Trump’s trade measures.
Most S&P 500 sectors fell Friday, led by materials, real estate, and utilities losses, while communication services and consumer discretionary stocks gained.
FedEx (NYSE:FDX), UPS (NYSE:UPS), Nike (NYSE:NKE), and Nucor (NYSE:NUE) fell on weaker forecasts, dragging key sectors. Boeing (NYSE:BA) rose on a new fighter jet contract, while Lockheed Martin declined.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.08% to 41,985.35, the S&P 500 up 0.08% to 5,667.56, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.52% to 17,784.05.
Asia Markets Today
- On Monday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed the session lower by 0.15% at 37,619.50, led by losses in the Shipbuilding, Manufacturing, and Services sectors.
- Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.07% and closed at 7,936.90, led by gains in the Consumer Discretionary, Financials and Utilities sectors.
- India’s Nifty 50 rose 1.41% to 23,679.65 and Nifty 500 was up 1.32% at 21,552.55.
- China’s Shanghai Composite gained 0.15% to 3,370.03, and the Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 rose 0.51% to 3,934.85.
- Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was up 0.91%, ending the session at 23,905.56.
Eurozone at 05:45 AM ET
- The European STOXX 50 was up 0.07%.
- Germany’s DAX gained 0.17%.
- France’s CAC fell 0.07%.
- U.K.’s FTSE 100 index traded lower by 0.04%.
- European shares rose as euro zone business activity hit a seven-month high, boosted by Germany’s rebound and fiscal stimulus.
Commodities at 05:45 AM ET
- Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 0.57% at $68.67/bbl, and Brent was up 0.50% at $71.97/bbl.
- Natural Gas declined 1.22% to $3.974.
- Gold was trading higher by 0.33% at $3,058.61, Silver was up 0.46% to $33.640, and Copper gained 0.64% to $5.1465.
- Gold eased as reports suggested Trump’s April 2 tariffs may be milder than feared, denting haven demand. Copper rose on supply concerns and hopes for China’s stimulus.
U.S. Futures at 05:45 AM ET
Dow futures were up 0.73%, S&P 500 futures gained 0.96%, and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 1.17%.
Forex at 05:45 AM ET
The U.S. Dollar Index slid 0.12% to 103.96, USD/JPY was up 0.17% to 149.56, and USD/AUD declined 0.44% to 1.5880.
