Global Markets Mixed as Trump Takes Office, Dollar Rises – Global Markets Today While US Sleeps – SmartETFs Asia Pacific Dividend Builder ETF (ARCA:ADIV)

On Friday, January 17, US markets closed higher, with the S&P 500, Dow Jones and Nasdaq posting their strongest weekly gains in months. Optimism about economic resilience and potential cuts in federal interest rates, coupled with strong bank earnings and upbeat homebuilding and manufacturing data, have outweighed concerns about Trump’s policies and inflation risks.

According to economic data, US industrial production rose by 0.9% in December, exceeding expectations of 0.3%. The number of homes starting construction jumped by 15.8% to 1.499 million units annually, while building permits fell by 0.7% to 1.483 million.

Most S&P 500 sectors ended higher on Friday, led by gains in consumers, information technology, and communications services. In contrast, healthcare and real estate stocks closed lower, diverging from the broader market trend.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.78% to close at 43,487.83, the S&P 500 closed up 1.00% at 5,996.66, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.51% to close at 19,630.20.

Issa markets today

• On Tuesday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed 0.30% higher at 39,000.50, led by gains in the shipbuilding, machinery and rubber sectors.
• Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index rose 0.66%, ending the session at 8,402.40, with gains in the gold, financials, metals and mining sectors.
• India’s Nifty 50 index closed 1.25% lower at 23,053.05, and the Nifty 500 index fell 1.63%, closing at 21,452.90. Losses in the real estate, consumer durables and energy sectors led the declines.
• China’s Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.05%, closing at 3,242.62, while the Shenzhen CSI 300 Index rose 0.08%, ending the day at 3,832.61.
• The Hong Kong Hang Seng Index ended the session 0.91% higher at 20,106.55.

Eurozone at 05:30 AM ET

• The European Stoxx 50 index rose 0.05%.
• The German DAX index fell by 0.08%.
• The French CAC index rose by 0.25%.
• The British FTSE 100 index rose 0.12%.
• European stocks steadied on Tuesday as investors weighed Trump’s tariff plans. The STOXX 600 index stabilized, but the German DAX index fell 0.2 percent due to concerns in the auto sector.

Commodities at 05:30 AM ET

• West Texas Intermediate crude traded 1.98% lower at $75.83 per barrel, and Brent crude fell 1.11% at $79.24 per barrel.
• Oil prices fell as investors weighed delayed US tariff plans and Trump’s focus on expanding domestic energy production.
• Natural gas fell by 2.20% to $3,861.
• Gold fell 0.50% to $2,735.09, silver fell 0.09% to $31,108, and copper fell 1.88% to $4.2862.

US futures at 05:30 AM ET

Dow Jones futures rose 0.44%, S&P 500 futures rose 0.49%, and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.55%.

Forex at 05:30 AM ET

• The US Dollar Index rose 0.55% to 108.66, USD/JPY rose 0.22% to 155.91, and USD/AUD rose 0.76% to 1.6058.
• The dollar rebounded on Tuesday, partially recovering from Monday’s sharp decline, as President Trump hinted at potential 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico by February 1.

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