BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - The hardening in bond yields continued to weigh on global market sentiment even as Fed rate hike bets softened amidst hints of a broader slowdown in the U.S. labor market. Markets also digested the decline in crude oil prices despite the escalation in tensions between the U.S. and Iran.
Data released on Wednesday morning showed private businesses in the U.S. adding 38 thousand jobs in August versus an upwardly revised 46 thousand in July. The lowest level since January came in below forecasts of 47 thousand.
The CME FedWatch tool shows the likelihood of a quarter-percentage rate hike on September 16 at 64.3 percent, declining from 67.2 percent a day earlier in the wake of weaker-than-expected data from the labor market.
Wall Street Futures are trading slightly above the flatline. Major benchmarks in Europe are trading deep in the red. Earlier in the day, Asian markets had finished trading on a heavily negative note.
The six-currency Dollar Index has edged up amidst haven bids and strong Fed rate hike bets. Ten-year sovereign bond yields are trading on a mixed note.
Crude oil price benchmarks are trading slightly below the flatline. Gold extended losses with a decline of more than a quarter percent. Cryptocurrencies are trading on a negative note.
Here is a snapshot of the major world markets at this hour.
Stock Indexes:
DJIA (US30) at 52,893.40, up 0.24% S&P 500 (US500) at 7,636.80, up 0.07% Germany's DAX at 25,863.60, down 0.36% U.K.'s FTSE 100 at 10,759.20, down 0.28% France's CAC 40 at 8,297.31, down 0.05% Euro Stoxx 50 at 6,368.55, down 0.01% Japan's Nikkei 225 at 64,325.64, down 2.85% Australia's S&P ASX 200 at 8,978.40, down 0.97% China's Shanghai Composite at 3,941.39, down 0.97% Hong Kong's Hang Seng at 25,311.21, down 0.07% South Korea's KOSPI at 6,562.72, down 3.99%
Currencies:
Dollar Index at 99.71, up 0.04% EUR/USD at 1.1582, down 0.09% GBP/USD at 1.3481, down 0.26% USD/JPY at 159.68, down 0.31% USD/CHF at 0.8139, up 0.28% AUD/USD at 0.7149, up 0.06%
Ten-Year Govt Bond Yields:
U.S. at 4.780%, down 0.33% Germany at 3.3706%, up 0.97% France at 4.245%, up 1.07% U.K. at 5.2347%, up 0.19% Japan at 3.003%, down 0.07%
Commodities:
Brent Oil Futures (Nov) at $94.27, down 0.40% Crude Oil WTI Futures (Oct) at $89.54, down 0.75% Gold Futures (Dec) at $4,381.84, down 0.33% Silver Futures (Dec) at $64.92, down 0.69%
Cryptocurrencies:
Bitcoin at $76,974.30, down 1.31% Ethereum at $2,387.16, down 2.44% BNB at $685.10, down 0.23% XRP at $1.33, down 2.89% Solana at $98.33, down 3.51%
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