Global Markets Stumble as Energy Prices Climb

U.S. equity futures pointed to a soft start, with the S&P 500 slipping 0.3% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.2%. Across the Atlantic, the Stoxx Europe 600 mirrored this weakness, shedding 0.3%. Performance was fractured among individual European names: HIAB surged 9% and Randstad added 6.6%, while DSV plunged 7.8% and Prosus retreated 3.8%. The FTSE 100 ticked down 0.1%, while major indices in France and Germany remained largely range-bound.

Energy markets drove much of the day's volatility. Beyond the jump in Brent, WTI crude climbed 2.6% to $86.54 a barrel, and European natural gas futures rose 1.7% to 60.7 euros per megawatt hour. Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar softened slightly, with the Wall Street Journal Dollar Index sliding to 97.22. Bond markets saw modest selling pressure, as the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose to 4.637% and the German 10-year Bund yield reached 3.201%. Asian markets closed on a mixed note, with the Nikkei 225 and Hang Seng retreating, though the Shanghai Composite managed a marginal 0.1% gain.