STOCK PRICES AND NEWS
Stock markets brush aside metals madness
It has been a solid day for equity markets despite the carnage in gold and silver prices, says Chris Beauchamp, Chief Market Analyst at investing and trading platform IG.
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US EQUITY INDICES
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is a price-weighted average of 30 most-traded stocks traded in the United States (US). It is often viewed as representative of “old economy” stocks and is considered a leading indicator for international investment.
While the Dow reflects the big money, the Standard and Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) is often the preferred gauge of equity markets due to its broad market coverage. The S&P 500 is a market value-weighted index comprising 500 large US stocks, covering about 75% of the US equity market.
The Nasdaq Composite is highly followed in the US as a performance indicator for technology and growth companies. The Nasdaq-100, which includes 100 of the largest non-financial companies in the Nasdaq Composite, accounts for about 80% of the index weighting of the Nasdaq Composite. The Nasdaq Composite is a capitalization-weighted index and it includes both US and non-US companies listed on the Nasdaq stock market. The NASDAQ represents the speculative retail money.
Generally speaking, a rise in the US equity markets tends to increase investors' risk appetite attracting foreign investment to the US equity market and pumping the US Dollar (USD) higher.
EUROPEAN EQUITY INDICES
Germany DAX - Daily
UK FTSE 100 - Daily
The DAX is a stock market index consisting of the 40 major German blue chip companies trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. It is a total return index and prices are taken from the Xetra trading venue.
The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 (FTSE 100), informally known as the “Footsie”, is a market capitalization-weighted index representing the top 100 blue-chip companies on the London Stock Exchange. The index represents over 80% of the total market capitalization in the United Kingdom (UK). Stocks in the FTSE 100 are free-float weighted, ensuring that only the investable opportunity set is included in the index.
JAPANESE EQUITY INDICES
The Nikkei 225, commonly called the Nikkei, is a stock market index for the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). It is a price-weighted index, operating in Japanese Yen (JPY), that measures the performance of 225 highly capitalized and liquid publicly owned companies in Japan. It has been calculated daily by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) newspaper since 1970.
Nikkei225 - Daily
Relationships between stocks and currencies
Currencies are probably the most difficult asset class to fit into a consistent intermarket model. For instance, when investors purchase stocks from a particular country, they must pay in the local currency, increasing the demand for that currency. Conversely, a strong currency can make bonds and stocks more attractive to foreign investors.
However, the correlation between stocks and currencies is not always clear. There are often response lags between the reactions of Forex and equities markets, leaving investors holding foreign equities exposed to exchange rate fluctuations.
This correlation is also fragile among international equity markets. The so-called global divergences occur when the stock market in one country starts performing better than the stock market in another country. This is often driven by currency capital flows from the country with the weaker stock market to the country with the stronger one.
US Dollar Index - Daily
Latest STOCK INDICES Analysis
Editors' picks
AUD/USD bulls have the upper hand amid divergent RBA-Fed outlooks
The AUD/USD consolidates the previous day's hawkish RBA-inspired gains above the 0.7000 mark, as a slight deterioration in risk sentiment benefits the safe-haven US Dollar and acts as a headwind for the Aussie. However, the diverging Fed-RBA rate paths favor bulls, suggesting that any corrective slide is more likely to get bought into and remain limited.
EUR/USD clings to daily gains above 1.1800
EUR/USD keeps the fresh bid bias around the 1.1800 region as the NA session draws to a close on Tuesday. The pair’s decent bounce comes on the back of fresh downside pressure on the US Dollar as investors continue to fade the so-called “Warsh trade”. Next of note on the euro docket will be the preliminary inflation data in the euro zone on Wednesday.
Gold recovers above $4,950 as US-Iran tensions boost safe-haven demand
Gold price trades in positive territory near $4,985 during the early Asian session on Wednesday. The precious metal extends the rebound after a historic and volatile sell-off last week. Traders weigh the next round of US economic signals and the broader demand for safe-haven assets.
Crypto winter began in January 2025, but end is near: Bitwise
The crypto market has been in a "full-blown" winter season since January 2025, following a 39% and 53% drop in Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) prices from their all-time highs over the past few months, according to Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan.
Here is what you need to know on Wednesday, February 4:
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) raised its interest rate by 25 basis points to 3.85%, aligning with market expectations. The RBA's hawkish tone indicates that inflation pressures are likely to persist, suggesting further policy tightening may be on the horizon.