Market overview

U.S. markets close red before the holiday

US dollar index grow higher

Commodities are closed today

FOREX

U.S. dollar index (USDX)

The dollar index rose 0.544% to 100.33 yesterday after earlier hitting 100.76, the highest level since April 2020. The dollar grew after data showed U.S. retail sales increased in March, mostly uplifted by higher gasoline and food prices. The dollar index (USDX) rose to a fresh high of 100.761.

Euro (EURUSD)

The euro plunged to a two-year low against the U.S. dollar on Thursday. However, comments from European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde were viewed as a sign that the ECB was in no rush to raise interest rates. Lagarde said there was no clear timeframe for when rates would start to rise, adding that it could be weeks or even several months after the end of the ECB’s stimulus scheme.

The European single currency fell to $1.0758, the lowest level since April 2020. It was last down 0.53% at $1.0827. Against sterling, the euro slid to a one-month low and was last down 0.28% at 0.8279.

Japanese Yen (USDJPY)

The battered yen saw some pause, making a small recovery from a 20-year low hit against the dollar. In yesterday’s trading, it weakened 0.25% versus the greenback at 125.94 per dollar.

Japanese firms say the yen has declined to the point of being detrimental to their business, while other central banks tightened monetary policy, reinforcing expectations of higher interest rates globally.

Indices

U.S. indices

Wall Street closed lower on Thursday at the end of a holiday-shortened week as bond yields resumed their uphill climb and investors contended with mixed earnings and economic data.

All three major U.S. stock indexes posted weekly losses ahead of the Good Friday holiday. Rising 10-year Treasury yields pressured growth stocks, dragging the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq intensely into negative territory, while the Dow recorded a humble loss.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.33% to 34,451.23, and the S&P 500 lost 1.21% to 4,392.59, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 2.14% to 13,351.08.

European indices

The eurozone economy faces slower economic growth and higher inflation as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushes up costs, disrupts trade, and hits confidence, a European Central Bank poll of economists showed on Friday. Economists polled in the ECB’s Survey of Professional Forecasters (SPF) put inflation at 6% this year, or twice as high as predicted two months ago.

Germany stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, while the DAX added 0.62%. In the U.K., FTSE 100 gained 0.5% after it has lost nearly 0.4% earlier. But the index broke a five-week gaining streak amid inflation and growth worries.