Equities mixed after Wall Street extended gains - 20.5.2025

The Dollar weakening is intact currently. The live dollar index data show the ICE US Dollar index, a measure of the dollar’s strength against a basket of six rival currencies, ended 0.5% lower on Monday.

Both EUR/USD and GBP/USD reversed their sliding yesterday as statistics office Eurostat’s final data confirmed euro area consumer inflation ticked down to 2.2% in April. Both Pound and euro are higher against the dollar currently. USD/JPY resumed its retreating while AUD/USD accelerated its climbing on Monday with the yen higher still against the Greenback currently and Australian dollar lower after the Reserve Bank of Australia cut interest rates. 

Futures on three main US stock indexes are down currently ahead of several Federal Open Market Committee members’ speeches today starting with Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Thomas Barkin’s speech scheduled for 15:00 CET. The yield on 30-year Treasury is down at 4.897% after spiking briefly above 5% yesterday following Moody’s downgrade of US‘ credit rating on Friday. US stock market ended marginally higher on Monday with the three main stock benchmarks recording daily gains in the range from 0.02% to 0.32%.

European stock indexes futures are mixed currently after indexes closed mixed on Monday as the European Union and the UK agreed to reset their post-Brexit relations. Asian indexes futures are mixed currently with Japan’s Nikkei  leading losses while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index leads gains after the People’s Bank of China cut its benchmark loan prime rate as expected.

Brent is retracing down currently. Oil prices ended marginally lower yesterday after Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said nuclear talks with US will lead nowhere if Washington insists that Tehran stop its uranium enrichment activity. US West Texas Intermediate WTI added 0.3% but are lower currently. Brent edged up 0.19% to $65.54 a barrel on Monday.