Global Market Roundup: Asia Sees Challenges, Europe Shows Mixed Signs, Gold Holds Firm

As the day unfolded in the U.S., stock markets had a varied ending. This happened because people were feeling less sure about spending, and there were also worries about problems in the Middle East, even though big U.S. banks had some good news about their profits.

Summary of the U.S. Stock Market

The big companies on Wall Street started telling everyone how well they did in the third part of the year. They did the math, and the energy part of the market went up by 2.3% because oil prices went up too. Electric and gas companies got a bit more valuable, going up by 1%. Things we need every day, like food and soap, got a bit more expensive, and that made those companies 0.8% more valuable.

• The first group of big companies, called the Dow Jones, went up by 0.12% to reach 33,670.29.

• The second group, called the S&P 500, went down by 0.50% to reach 4,327.78.

• The third group, known as the Nasdaq Composite, went down by 1.23% to reach 13,407.23.

News from Asia's Markets

• In Japan (Nikkei 225): The big money club there, known as the Nikkei 225, went down by 2.03% to reach 31,634.50. The people who decide where to put their money were being careful because they were waiting for very important information about prices, which was going to come out later this week. If prices keep going up, the people who are in charge of money might decide to change their plans.

• In Australia (S&P/ASX 200): The money club there, known as the S&P/ASX 200, went down by 0.23% and finished at 7,026.50. Nine out of eleven groups that make things lost some money, but the group that makes computers and other tech things lost the most, going down by 2.8%.

• In China (Shanghai Composite) & (Shenzhen CSI 300): In China, where lots of things are made, the market that checks how well companies are doing, known as the Shanghai Composite, went down by 0.46% to finish at 3,073.81. Another group of companies, called the Shenzhen CSI 300, went down by 1% to reach 3,626.60.

• In Hong Kong (Hang Seng Index): In Hong Kong, another big place for money, the Hang Seng Index went down by 0.88% and finished at 17,602.50.

How Europe Started Its Day (at 06:00 AM ET)

• The big group of European companies, known as the STOXX 600, was just a tiny bit down, by 0.01%.

• In Germany, where lots of machines and cars are made, the DAX went down by 0.05%.

• In France, where they make lots of nice things to eat and drink, the CAC went up by 0.04%.

• In the U.K., where they have a big group of companies called the FTSE 100, things went up by 0.41%.

News About Important Stuff

• The oil that makes cars go vroom went up by just a little, 0.08%, to $86.42 for each barrel of oil. Another kind of oil, called Brent, went down by 0.09% to reach $90.81 for each barrel.

• The natural gas that makes things warm and cook food went down by 2.87% to reach $3.146.

• The shiny gold that lots of people like went down by 0.70% to reach $1,927.85. Another shiny thing, called silver, went down by 0.80% to reach $22.712, while copper, another shiny thing, went up by 0.48% to reach $3.5977.

What People Think Will Happen in the U.S. (at 06:00 AM ET)

• People who guess about money and businesses think that the big group of companies in the Dow Jones will go up by 0.31%. The second group, in the S&P 500, will go up by 0.17%, and the third group, called the Nasdaq 100, will go down just a tiny bit, by 0.01%.

News About Money From Other Places (at 06:00 AM ET)

• The money that people use in the U.S., called the U.S. Dollar, was just a little bit down, by 0.15%, to reach 106.49. Some of that money that people use in Japan, called the Yen, went down by just a tiny bit, 0.01%, to reach 149.56. In Australia, where they use money called the Australian Dollar, it went down by 0.30% to reach 1.5819.

Also Read: U.S. Banks Report Strong Earnings: JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup