Global markets are mixed on Thursday as strong U.S. jobs data pushes back hopes for early Fed rate cuts, oil nudges higher on U.S.–Iran tension, gold slips from recent peaks, and crypto holds steady even as sentiment remains fearful.
Crypto
The total crypto market is about $2.3 trillion, up roughly 0.9% in the last 24 hours, while the Fear & Greed Index sits at 8 in extreme fear, the Altcoin Season Index at 31/100 still favoring bitcoin over altcoins, and the average crypto RSI near 50, signaling a market that is cautious but neither overbought nor oversold.
Bitcoin trades around $67,220, slightly higher on the day but still down about 6% on the week, while Ethereum hovers near $1,972, up roughly 1% in the last 24 hours, and Solana trades around $81, almost 2% higher on the day, with the major tokens continuing to hold up better than most altcoins.
Spot bitcoin ETF flows have turned choppy, with Feb. 9 and 10 seeing solid net inflows of roughly $145 million and $167 million, only for those gains to be reversed on Feb. 11 by about $276 million of net outflows as several funds saw sizable redemptions.
Commodities
Oil is slightly firmer, with Brent trading near $69.6 a barrel and U.S. WTI around $64.8 after Wednesday’s gains, as investors focus on rising tensions between Washington and Tehran, concerns over shipping routes, and tighter sanctions on Russian exports.
Gold is easing after its latest surge, with spot prices hovering around $5,070 an ounce, down about 0.3%, while silver trades near $83.8, also giving back part of Wednesday’s 4% jump as stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs data reduce expectations for near-term Fed cuts and nudge the dollar higher.
Stock Market Indices
U.S. indices are almost flat, with the S&P 500 sitting near 6,941, the Dow Jones around 50,121 (down about 0.1%), and the Nasdaq near 23,066 (off roughly 0.2%).
In Asia, Japanese stocks continue to climb, with the Nikkei trading around 57,600 after hitting fresh records this week on hopes of supportive fiscal policy, while in Europe, the FTSE 100 is just below 10,510, consolidating after touching record territory in recent sessions.
Geopolitics & Market Sentiment
On the diplomatic front, Iran–U.S. nuclear talks are setting the tone for markets, with President Trump weighing the deployment of a second aircraft carrier to the region and again threatening strikes if negotiations fail, even as he tells Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that talks will continue.
Behind that headline, U.S. and Iranian envoys held indirect talks in Oman last week, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said both sides are showing more flexibility on a possible nuclear deal, leaving investors watching a fragile situation that could yet send prices sharply higher.
In Europe, Norway’s top general has warned that Moscow could one day seek to seize land in the far north to secure its nuclear forces, as Russia claims fresh gains in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region.
On the economic front, U.S. payrolls rose by 130,000 in January, and unemployment dipped to 4.3%, pushing expectations for the first Fed rate cut into the second half of the year, lifting short-term Treasury yields, and leaving traders watching weekly jobless claims and Friday’s CPI report for confirmation.
