Asian markets jumped Friday while US stock stuttered after yet another volatile day of trading.
Asian Markets and U.S futures
- South Korea’s Kospi was last up 4.5%, putting the benchmark index on pace to record its first gains since March 10.
- Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index increased 2.8%, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 advanced 1.9%. China’s Shanghai Composite rose 0.5%.
- Markets in Japan are closed for a holiday.
- US stock futures, meanwhile, were mixed following what had looked like positive momentum for Wall Street earlier in the day.
- Dow futures dropped 111 points, about 0.6%. Nasdaq futures were up 0.1%, and S&P 500 futures fell about 0.6%.
- The S&P 500 rose 0.5%, and the Nasdaq Composite ended 2.3% higher.
Oil Prices
- In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude CLJ20, +7.89% gained 56 cents to $25.78 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract surged $4.85 on Thursday to settle at $25.22.
- Brent crude BRNK20, +6.67% , used to price international oils, lost 7 cents to $28.40 per barrel in London. It rose 14.4%, or $3.59, to settle at $28.47 the previous session.
