(index / closing price / change items /% change)

Nikkei -195.26 18552.61 -1.04%

TOPIX -15.56 1479.54 -1.04%

Hang Seng +225.04 24313.50 +0.93%

CSI 300 -7.24 3509.65 -0.21%

Euro Stoxx 50 -1.53 3468.51 -0.04%

FTSE 100 -16.51 7348.99 -0.22%

DAX +15.35 12154.70 +0.13%

CAC 40 -0.75 5101.11 -0.01%

DJIA -59.44 20591.86 -0.29%

S&P 500 -8.85 2344.93 -0.38%

NASDAQ -30.61 5836.16 -0.52%

S&P/TSX -78.71 15648.40 -0.50%

Major US stock indices moderately decreased on Wednesday amid uncertainty caused by the growth of geopolitical tensions and the upcoming season of corporate reporting.

Corporate reports for the first quarter are likely to be the next catalyst for the market, as investors focused on the fundamentals of companies, hoping to find justification for high valuation on Wall Street. Large banks unofficially open the reporting season on Thursday. On this day, JPMorgan (JPM), Citigroup (C) and Wells Fargo (WFC) should disclose their financial results.

In addition, as it became known, import prices fell by 0.2% in March after an increase of 1.4% compared to the previous 3 months. Until the beginning of the decline in March, prices for imported goods grew during the last 12 months, by 4.2% in the period from March 2016 to March 2017. On the contrary, import prices fell by 6.1% compared to the previous 12-month period.

Meanwhile, the US Treasury announced that the annual budget deficit in March remained near a 3-year high, as government spending increased, unlike revenues. State spending in March exceeded revenues by $ 176.2 billion. The budget deficit was $ 68.2 billion more than in March 2016.

Oil futures fell by about 1%, due to ambiguous data from the US Energy Ministry, which reflected a strong fall in oil reserves along with an increase in oil production to a maximum since August 2015. The US Energy Ministry reported that in the week of April 1-7, oil reserves fell by 2.2 million barrels to 533.4 million barrels, remaining near the upper mid-range limit for this time of year. The stock was expected to grow by 0.316 million barrels.

Most components of the DOW index finished trading in the red (20 of 30). Caterpillar Inc. shares fell more than others. (CAT, -2.35%). Leader of the growth were shares of NIKE, Inc. (NKE, + 0.98%).

Most sectors of the S & P index showed a negative trend. The sector of industrial goods fell most of all (-1.4%). The leader of growth was the utilities sector (+ 0.5%).

At closing:

DJIA -0.29% 20.592.11 -59.19

Nasdaq -0.52% 5,836.16 -30.61

S & P -0.37% 2,344.98 -8.80

U.S. stock-index were fell slightly little changed on Wednesday as rising geopolitical tensions and the approaching earnings season weighed on investors' risk appetite.

Stocks:

Nikkei 18,552.61 -195.26 -1.04%

Hang Seng 24,313.50 +225.04 +0.93%

Shanghai 3,273.83 -15.14 -0.46%

FTSE 7,355.76 -9.74 -0.13%

CAC5,109.20 +7.34 +0.14%

DAX 12,155.27 +15.92 +0.13%

(company / ticker / price / change ($/%) / volume)

Upgrades:

HP (HPQ) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Citigroup

Downgrades:

Other:

European stocks closed mostly lower on Tuesday, with lingering worries about the crisis in Syria and the hotly contested French election creating a cloud over sentiment.

U.S. stocks pared losses to close with small losses Tuesday as investors remained cautious over assets perceived as risky, such as equities, on rising geopolitical tensions. Tuesday's moves come as investors focus on the latest geopolitical developments, as the U.S. has taken a hard line on Syria at a G-7 meeting and North Korea has warned that it is ready for war should U.S. Navy ships advance to the Korean Peninsula.

Gold continued to rise and the yen hit fresh five-month highs against a host of other currencies in early Asian trade on Wednesday as investors continued to move money out of risky assets. Investor worries over Syria and North Korea sent gold and 10-year Treasury yields to their best levels since November overnight.