Benzinga - by Akanksha Bakshi, Benzinga Editor.
On Friday, October 6, the U.S. stock markets closed higher, reacting to a surprising increase in job creation last month, sparking renewed discussions on a potential Federal Reserve interest rate hike this year, despite slow wage growth.
September saw 336,000 new jobs, nearly twice the expected number, but unemployment held at 3.8%, and hourly wages grew just 0.2%, the slowest in 18 months.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed higher by 0.87% at 33,407.58, a reflection of increased investor confidence. The S&P 500 followed suit with an increase of 1.18%, settling at 4,308.50. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite wasn’t left behind, rising 1.60% to conclude at 13,431.34.
Asian Markets Today
- Japan markets were closed for National Sports Day.
- Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 ended Monday’s session higher by 0.23%, closing at 6,970.20, led by a surge in gold and oil stocks due to rising conflicts in the Middle East.
- The Shanghai Composite ended the session at 3,096.92, a decline of 0.44%, while the Shenzhen CSI 300 fell 0.13% to close at 3,684.73. Chinese stocks experienced a downturn following the Golden Week break, influenced by the global market unrest triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel.
- Hang Seng index in Hong Kong rose 0.18%, closing at 17,517.40, after afternoon trade resumed at 2 PM, following a morning cancellation due to a Signal 8 typhoon warning for Typhoon Koinu.
- The European STOXX 600 index was up 0.04%.
- Germany’s DAX declined 0.50%.
- France’s CAC slid 0.25%.
- The U.K.’s FTSE 100 traded higher by 0.27%.
- Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 3.58% at $85.73/bbl, and Brent was up 3.32% to $87.39/bbl.
- Analysts are cautioning about a potential knee-jerk reaction due to the geopolitical unrest that unfolded in the Middle East over the weekend. Oil prices are trending upwards, reflecting the market’s sensitivity to the ongoing crisis.
- Natural Gas rose 1.38% to $3.382.
- Gold was trading higher by 1.01% at $1,864.60, Silver rose 0.35% to $21.800, and Copper was up by 0.82% to $3.3657.
Dow futures were down 0.43%, S&P 500 futures declined 0.57%, while Nasdaq 100 futures slid by 0.75%.
Forex at 06:00 AM ET
The U.S. Dollar Index was up 0.41% to 106.47. USD/JPY declined 0.12% to 149.13, and AUD/USD rose by 0.01% to 1.5722.
© 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.