Asia And Europe Markets Mixed, Gold Jumps On Safe-Haven Demand

Akanksha Bakshi

March 11, 2025

Benzinga

On Monday, March 10th, U.S. markets closed sharply lower as the ongoing stock sell-off intensified. Investor confidence was shaken by growing uncertainty around Trump’s tariff policies, recession fears, and the threat of a government shutdown.

Major tech stocks like Tesla and Nvidia continued to slide. With key inflation data ahead, Wall Street faces a sharp shift in sentiment amid rising economic and political risks.

Economic data showed that U.S. consumer inflation expectations for the year ahead rose to 3.1% in February, up from 3% over the previous three months.

Most S&P 500 sectors fell Monday, led by losses in consumer discretionary, tech, and communication services, while utilities and energy ended higher.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2.08% to close at 41,911.71, the S&P 500 declined 2.70% to 5,614.56, while the Nasdaq Composite plummeted 4.00% to 17,468.32.

President Trump sidestepped recession concerns in a Sunday Fox News interview and later with reporters. While denying an imminent downturn, he referenced a “period of transition” tied to tariffs and workforce cuts. Emphasizing long-term gains from his policies, he avoided making definitive comments about a possible 2025 recession.

Asia Markets Today

On Tuesday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.32% to 36,770.50, led by losses in the Shipbuilding, Manufacturing, and Services sectors.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.91%, closing at 7,890.10, led by losses in the IT, Gold and Industrials sectors.
India’s Nifty 50 was up 0.16% at 22,495.20, and the Nifty 500 gained 0.17% to 20,300.30.
China’s Shanghai Composite gained 0.41% to 3,379.83, and the Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 rose 0.32% to 3,941.42.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slid 0.01%, ending the session at 23,782.14.

Eurozone at 05:45 AM ET

The European STOXX 50 was up 0.39%.
Germany’s DAX gained 0.58%.
France’s CAC rose 0.32%.
Spain’s IBEX 35 traded lower by 0.11%
U.K.’s FTSE 100 index traded lower by 0.10%

Commodities at 05:45 AM ET

Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 0.71% at $66.50/bbl, and Brent was up 0.75% at $69.80/bbl.
Oil prices inched higher Tuesday despite early losses amid recession fears, tariff uncertainty, and OPEC+ plans to raise supply.
Natural Gas gained 0.60% to $4.518.
Gold was trading higher by 0.56% at $2,915.69, Silver was up 1.28% to $32.943, and Copper gained 1.07% to $4.7160.
Gold prices rose in Asia as a weaker dollar and rising U.S. recession fears boosted safe-haven demand.

U.S. Futures at 05:45 AM ET

Dow futures were up 0.27%, S&P 500 futures rose 0.33% and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.44%.

Forex at 05:45 AM ET

The U.S. Dollar Index slipped 0.54% to 103.37, USD/JPY was up 0.07% to 147.38, and USD/AUD declined 0.20% to 1.5893.
The yen hit a five-month high Tuesday as investors sought safety amid U.S. recession fears driven by Trump’s tariffs. U.S. stocks slumped, signaling slowing growth, while the dollar weakened against major currencies.

Also Read: Trump Says Economy Faces A ‘Period Of Transition’: Is A Recession Ahead?

Image via Shutterstock