All Key Asian stocks ended in the red today. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slipped 0.42 percent, Korea’s Kospi declined 0.66 percent, China’s Shanghai Composite fell 0.42 percent, Japan’s Nikkei-225 tumbled 0.32 percent and Singapore’s Straits Times Index slipped 0.19 percent.
Major European markets were trading lower today. France’s CAC was trading one percent down, Germany’s DAX slipped 0.43 percent and London’s FTSE-100 fell 0.37 percent when the reports last came in.
In U.S. stocks Nasdaq hit a record high ahead of Nvidia’s eagerly anticipated earnings report and amid investors speculation about the potential interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.
The Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.65 percent, the S&P 500 gained 0.09 percent and Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.06 percent higher.
Gold and silver prices declined today in the futures market. The precious metal for the June contracts was lower by 272 rupees or 0.37 percent, trading at 74,095 rupees per ten grams. Silver futures for July contracts were down by 601 rupees or 0.63 percent, trading at 94,666 rupees per kilogram, when the reports last came in.
In the global markets, gold was trading 0.50 percent lower at 2,449 dollars and 50 cents per ounce on Comex. Silver was trading 1.36 percent down at 31 dollars and 99 cents per ounce in the intra-day session.
Oil prices dropped by more than 1 dollar today, extending losses on investor expectations that lingering U.S. inflation could keep interest rates higher for longer, depressing consumer and industrial demand.
The Brent Crude Oil futures was down by 1.55 percent to trade at 82 dollar and 41 cents and West Texas Intermediate was lower too by 1.68 percent at 78 dollar and 46 cents, when the reports last came in.