S&P 500 — US Large Cap Index
FTSE 100 — UK Blue Chips
Euro Stoxx 50 — Eurozone Leaders
DAX 40 — German Equities
CAC 40 — French Market Index
Nikkei 225 — Japan Benchmark
Hang Seng — Hong Kong Index
Shanghai Composite — China Mainland
ASX 200 — Australian Market
TSX Composite — Canada Index
Nifty 50 — India Large Cap
STI Index — Singapore Market
KOSPI — South Korea Index
Bovespa — Brazil Equities
JSE Top 40 — South Africa Index
IPC Index — Mexico Market
Australian shares dropped 50 points, or 0.6%, to 8,793 in early Thursday trade, retreating for a third session and hovering at a two-week low. Sentiment was pressured by a sharp drop in U.S. equity futures following renewed Middle East uncertainty, as Iranian officials reportedly refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after President Trump’s ceasefire extension. Locally, households and businesses continue to grapple with high mortgage rates, soaring energy costs, and price strains from geopolitical conflicts. With the Reserve Bank set to hold a policy meeting in early May, expectations are rising for another cash rate hike. Still, losses were partly offset by April PMI data showing signs of recovery in both manufacturing and services in Australia. Process industries, consumer non-durables, and financials led the decline, with major laggards from Lynas Rare Earths (-5.1%), Aristocrat Leisure (-2.2
