Asia Markets Mixed, Europe Slips; Dollar Slides Amid Fed Uncertainty - Global Markets Today While US Slept

On Wednesday, May 14, U.S. markets closed mixed. The S&P 500 closed slightly higher after a quiet session, with investors awaiting economic data following gains earlier in the week tied to easing inflation and a U.S.-China tariff pause.Tech stocks rose on AI deals in the Middle East, while trade uncertainty and Fed signals kept markets cautious. The Dow slipped, and the Nasdaq advanced.In economic data, U.S. mortgage applications rose slightly in the week ending May 9, up 1.1% from the previous week, easing after an 11% jump the week before.Most S&P 500 sectors fell Wednesday, led by losses in health care, materials, and real estate, while tech and communication stocks gained.The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.21% to 42,051.06, the S&P 500 gained 0.10% to 5,892.58, and the Nasdaq surged 0.71% to 19,146.81.Asia Markets Today On Thursday, Japan's Nikkei 225 closed 0.88% lower at 37,793.00, led by losses in the Paper & Pulp, Transport, and Communication sectors. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.22%, ending the session at 8,297.50, led by gains in the IT, Financials, and Consumer Discretionary sectors. India's Nifty 50 was up 1.52% at 25,044.25, and Nifty 500 rose 1.24% to 22,777.70. China's Shanghai Composite declined 0.68% to 3,380.82, and Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 was down 0.91% at 3,907.20. Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed the session 0.79% lower at 23,453.16. Eurozone at 06:00 AM ET The European STOXX 50 index was down 0.49%. Germany's DAX index declined 0.10%. France's CAC 40 fell 0.22%. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index traded higher by 0.08%. Commodities at 06:00 AM ET Crude Oil WTI was trading lower by 3.71% at $60.81/bbl, and Brent was down 3.50% at $63.81/bbl. Oil prices plunged nearly 4% on hopes of a U.S.-Iran nuclear deal that could boost supply, while global stocks paused after a rally driven by trade truce optimism and Middle East deals. Natural Gas declined 0.23% to $3.486. Gold was trading lower by 0.34% at $3,177.70, Silver was down 0.64% to $32.230, and Copper fell 0.53% to $4.6263. U.S. Futures at 06:00 AM ETDow futures were down 0.31%, S&P 500 futures declined 0.49%, and Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.67%.Forex at 06:00 AM ETThe U.S. Dollar Index declined 0.28% to 100.79, USD/JPY was down 0.55% to 145.87, and USD/AUD rose 0.22% to 1.5589.Photo via Shutterstock