Today's News Update - 18th April 2024 Asia Asia-Pacific markets showed a mixed performance following Tuesday's widespread sell-off, with focus shifting to trade data releases from Japan and Singapore on Wednesday. Singapore's non-oil domestic exports experienced a significant decline of 20.7% in March, well below the 7% decline forecasted by economists surveyed by Reuters. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell by 1.32% to close below the 38,000 level for the first time since February, while the broader Topix index recorded a smaller loss of 1.26%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index edged 0.1% lower, contrasting with the CSI 300 index in mainland China, which gained 1.55% and closed positively at 3,565.4. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 ended the day marginally down, settling at 7,605.6. US Stock futures hovered near the flatline during Wednesday evening trading following a streak of losses in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite. S&P 500 futures edged up by 0.04%, while Nasdaq 100 futures showed a slight gain of 0.1%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures remained relatively unchanged. The tech sector faced challenges on Wednesday, contributing to the continued losses in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite, marking their fourth consecutive sessions in the red. Nvidia played a significant role in pulling down both indexes, dropping nearly 4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell for the seventh time in eight sessions. Commodity On Wednesday, gold prices dipped slightly but remained near their recent record highs, driven by a combination of factors including reduced expectations for U.S. interest rate cuts. Spot gold declined by 0.2% to $2,376.39 per ounce after reaching an all-time high of $2,431.29 last week. Meanwhile, crude oil futures experienced a significant drop of more than 3% on Wednesday. The West Texas Intermediate contract for May delivery lost $2.67, or 3.13%, settling at $82.69 a barrel. June Brent futures were down $2.73, or 3.03%, settling at $87.29 a barrel. The above analysis is only for the views of market researchers and is for reference only and is not Regarded as a specific investment suggestion. #Forex #trading #tradingforex