NEW YORK, New York – A decline in labor costs as measured by ADP failed to boost U.S. Markets Wednesday.

“ADP’s National Employment report’s payroll data shows the Fed’s anti-inflation treatment is now really taking effect,” David Russell, global head of market strategy at online investing platform TradeStation told CNBC Wednesday.

“The numbers point toward a soft landing, but investors may start to worry about a recession if policy remains too hawkish. It’s the Fed’s battle to lose at this point.”

As the trading day came to a close on Wednesday, major stock market indexes experienced a mixed bag of movements, with investors closely monitoring the final numbers. Here’s a snapshot of the closing stock market quotes for key indices:

S&P 500 (^GSPC): The S&P 500 closed at 4,549.34, marking a decrease of 17.84 points or a decline of 0.39 percent. Market activity for the day amounted to 2.351 billion shares.

Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI): The Dow Jones Industrial Average concluded the day at 36,054.43, reflecting a decrease of 70.13 points or a dip of 0.19 percent. Total trading volume reached 279.825 million shares.

NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC): The NASDAQ Composite closed at 14,146.71, showing a decline of 83.20 points or a decrease of 0.58 percent. The day’s trading volume for the technology-heavy index was 4.615 billion shares.

Investors navigated through a market environment influenced by a combination of economic data, corporate earnings reports, and global events. The moderate declines observed across these key indices suggest a cautious sentiment among market participants.

Global Forex Markets Report for Wednesday: Demand for U.S. Dollar Escalates

In the ever-fluctuating world of foreign exchange, Wednesday’s trading sessions brought about notable movements for the U.S. dollar in major currency pairs. Here’s a recap of the latest world foreign exchange market quotes in late Wednesday trading in the U.S.:

EURUSD (Euro / US Dollar): The Euro against the US Dollar witnessed a slight decrease, with the exchange rate standing at 1.0761. This represents a reduction of 0.0034 or a decline of 0.32 percent.

USDJPY (US Dollar / Japanese Yen): The US Dollar strengthened against the Japanese Yen, reaching 147.38. This marks an increase of 0.24 or a rise of 0.16 percent.

USDCAD (US Dollar / Canadian Dollar): The US Dollar experienced a marginal decrease against the Canadian Dollar, settling at 1.359. This reflects a reduction of 0.00016 or a minimal decline of 0.01 percent.

GBPUSD (British Pound / US Dollar): The British pound weakened in comparison to the US Dollar, resulting in an exchange rate of 1.2554. This indicates a decrease of 0.0036 or a decline of 0.29 percent.

USDCHF (US Dollar / Swiss Franc): The US Dollar appreciated against the Swiss Franc, reaching 0.8754. This signifies an increase of 0.0005 or a rise of 0.07 percent.

AUDUSD (Australian Dollar / US Dollar): The Australian Dollar slightly declined against the US Dollar, settling at 0.6550. This indicates a reduction of 0.00013 or a decline of 0.02 percent.

NZDUSD (New Zealand Dollar / US Dollar): The New Zealand Dollar strengthened against the US Dollar, reaching 0.6137. This marks an increase of 0.15 percent.

Global Stocks Mixed, Strong Performances Seen in Japan, Australia and New Zealand

In the latest trading session on Wednesday, global stock markets showcased a diverse performance, with key indices reflecting both modest gains and losses.

CANADA

S&P/TSX Composite Index (^GSPTSE): In Canada, the S&P/TSX Composite index finished at 20,274.21, indicating a decrease of 101.72 points or a decline of 0.50 percent. Total trading volume on the Toronto Stock Exchange amounted to 256.841 million shares.

UNITED KINGDOM

In the United Kingdom, the FTSE 100 closed at 7,515.38, marking an increase of 25.54 points or 0.34 percent.

EUROPE

Meanwhile, in Germany, the DAX PERFORMANCE-INDEX saw positive movement, closing at 16,656.44 with a gain of 123.33 points, equivalent to 0.75 percent.

The CAC 40 in France displayed a similar trend, concluding the day at 7,435.99, up by 49.00 points or 0.66 percent.

The Eurozone’s ESTX 50 PR.EUR and Euronext 100 Index closed at 4,483.26 and 1,376.39, respectively, with increases of 30.49 points (0.68 percent) and 6.42 points (0.47 percent).

Belgium’s BEL 20 closed at 3,657.70 Wednesday, up by 30.82 points or 0.85 percent.

RUSSIA

Russia’s MOEX Russia Index experienced a marginal decline, closing at 2,222.51, down by 4.14 points or 0.19 percent.

ASIA

In the Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei 225 surged by 670.08 points, representing a significant increase of 2.04 percent, closing at 33,445.90.

Moving to Hong Kong, the HANG SENG INDEX closed at 16,463.26 Wednesday, gaining 135.40 points or 0.83 percent.

In China, the SSE Composite Index experienced a marginal decline, closing at 2,968.93, down by 3.36 points or 0.11 percent.

Conversely, the Shenzhen Index in China reported positive movement, reaching 9,533.25 with a gain of 62.89 points, equivalent to 0.66 percent.

Singapore’s STI Index closed at 3,087.24, gaining 10.08 points or 0.33 percent.

In India, the S&P BSE SENSEX closed at 69,653.73 Wednesday, marking an increase of 357.59 points or 0.52 percent. India’s NIFTY 50 meanwhile closed at 20,937.70, marking an increase of 82.60 points or 0.40 percent.

Indonesia’s IDX COMPOSITE closed at 7,087.40, experiencing a slight decline of 13.46 points or 0.19 percent.

Malaysia’s FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI reported a decrease, closing at 1,445.82 with a loss of 3.64 points or 0.25 percent.

South Korea’s KOSPI Composite Index closed at 2,495.38, gaining 1.10 points or 0.04 percent. Taiwan’s TSEC weighted index closed at 17,360.72, with an increase of 32.71 points or 0.19 percent.

OCEANIA

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 exhibited robust performance, closing at 7,178.40, up by 116.80 points or 1.65 percent.

The Australian ALL ORDINARIES surged by 116.90 points or 1.61 percent Wednesday, closing at 7,386.70.

New Zealand’s S&P/NZX 50 INDEX GROSS closed at 11,463.49, up by 106.50 points or 0.94 percent.

AFRICA

In South Africa, the Top 40 USD Net TRI Index closed at 3,949.88, reflecting a gain of 31.85 points or 0.81 percent.

MIDDLE EAST

In Israel, the TA-125 closed at 1,835.22, reflecting a gain of 2.32 points or 0.13 percent, following a denial by the chief trader at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange that there was irregular trading prior to the 7 October attacks. Reports that Hamas may have made millions of shekels shorting the market were deeply flawed Yaniv Pagot, head of trading at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange said Wednesday.

Egypt’s EGX 30 Price Return Index closed at 24,703.50, down by 424.40 points or 1.69 percent.

(Photo credit: Big News Network news agency).