Japan's Nikkei Boosts Asia Markets, Europe Opens Mixed; Crude Oil Falls 2% While Gold Stays Near Record High - Global Markets Today While US Slept U.S., Gold, Japan, India, China, Nasdaq, Nikkei, Europe, S&P 500, Crude Oil, Dow Jones, Australia, Hong Kong, retail sales, Bank of Japan, initial jobless claims, NY Empire State Manufacturing Index - by https://www.benzinga.com/

AI Insights:

Simple Explanation:

Some key points from the article are:

- Gold and Crude Oil prices changed slightly
- US stock markets closed higher on Thursday due to strong retail sales data
- Japan's Nikkei boosted Asian markets, while Europe opened mixed
- Brent crude oil fell 1.78% and gold stayed near record high

Summary for a 7-year-old:

Yesterday, the US stock market did well because people bought more things at stores than expected. This made investors feel better about the economy. Today, some Asian markets are doing well because of a strong Japanese index. European markets are not all doing well. Gold and oil prices are changing a bit, but gold is still close to its highest price ever. Read from source...

Critical Perspective:

Key points:
- U.S. stock markets closed higher on Thursday, boosted by strong retail sales data and declining jobless claims
- Japan's Nikkei led the gains in Asia, with investors increasing purchases of overseas bonds as the yen weakened
- Crude oil prices fell 2%, while gold stayed near record highs
- European markets were mixed, with the Euro STOXX 50 gaining 0.64% and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 trading lower by 0.44%
- U.S. futures were mostly lower, except for Nasdaq 100 futures, which gained 0.04%
- Forex: U.S. dollar index fell 0.16%, USD/JPY declined 0.51%, USD/AUD slid 0.35%