On Friday, November 15, U.S. markets closed lower, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq recording their steepest losses in two weeks. The decline was fueled by worries over delayed interest rate cuts, reactions to economic data, and Trump’s cabinet picks, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., raising vaccine policy concerns.

Related: European And U.S. Vaccine Stocks Are Under Pressure – Here’s Why

According to economic data, U.S. export prices rose by 0.8% in October, while import prices increased by 0.3%. Retail sales grew 0.4% month-over-month, exceeding market expectations of 0.3% but lower than September’s revised 0.8% gain.

Most S&P 500 sectors fell, led by losses in tech, communication services, and healthcare, while utilities and financials gained, defying the broader market trend.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.47% and closed at 43,750.86, the S&P 500 declined 0.50% to 5,949.17, and the Nasdaq Composite slid 0.64% to finish at 19,107.65.

Asia Markets Today

• On Monday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 declined 1.05% and ended the session at 38,232.50, led by losses in the Real Estate, Shipbuilding, and Financial Services sectors.
• Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.18% and ended the day at 8,300.20, led by gains in the Consumer Staples, Utilities and Gold sectors.
• India’s Nifty 50 closed 0.50% lower at 23,462.70, and Nifty 500 down 0.28% at 21,901.10, led by losses in the Technology, Oil & Gas, and Fast Moving Consumer Goods sectors.
• China’s Shanghai Composite declined 0.21% to close at 3,323.85, and the Shenzhen CSI 300 fell 0.46%, finishing the day at 3,950.38.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.77% and closed the session at 19,576.61.

Eurozone at 05:30 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 index was down 0.27%.
• Germany’s DAX slid 0.08%.
• France’s CAC fell 0.00%.
• FTSE 100 index traded higher by 0.30%

Commodities at 05:30 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 0.70% at $67.39/bbl, and Brent was up 0.73% at $71.56/bbl.
• Oil prices rose amid the escalating Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, market gains were tempered by weak demand in China and a global oil surplus forecast. U.S. support for Ukrainian strikes against Russia increased geopolitical risks.
• Natural Gas rose 2.34% to $2.888.
• Gold was trading higher by 0.99% at $2,595.80, Silver gained 1.27% to $30.820, and Copper rose 0.46% to $4.0830.
• Gold prices rose, supported by a slowing dollar rally. Investors await Federal Reserve comments amid strong U.S. economic data reducing expectations for December rate cuts.

U.S. Futures at 05:30 AM ET

Dow futures declined 0.22%, S&P 500 futures up 0.02%, and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.35%.

Forex at 05:30 AM ET

• The U.S. dollar index gained 0.02% to 106.70, the USD/JPY rose 0.41% to 154.97, and the USD/AUD rose 0.08% to 1.5484.
• The dollar strengthened against the yen as Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda signaled potential future rate hikes without confirming timing.

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