Delhi, 31 October (H.S.): Global financial markets are presenting a mixed picture on Friday, with U.S. markets closing lower in the previous session while Asian markets are seeing divergent trends today. European markets also ended with varied results.In the United States, a persistent sell-off in technology stocks dragged major indices down. The S&P 500 index closed with a loss of 0.99%, finishing at 6,822.34 points.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite saw a steeper decline, falling 377.33 points (1.57%) to end the session at 23,581.14. In a more positive sign for today's trade, Dow Jones Futures are currently trading up by 0.10% at 47,571.72 points.
European markets were indecisive in the last session. The FTSE index posted a marginal gain of 0.04% to close at 9,760.06. In contrast, the CAC index ended down 0.53% at 8,157.29, and the DAX index recorded a nominal fall of 0.02% to close at 24,118.89.
Asian Markets Trade with a Split Bias
Asian markets are demonstrating a lack of unified direction in Friday's trading. Out of nine major regional markets, five are trading in the red, while four are showing gains.
Gainers: Japan's Nikkei index has surged, currently up 890.39 points (1.73%) at 52,216. South Korea's KOSPI is trading 0.64% higher at 4,113.02. The Taiwan Weighted index is up 0.14%, and GIFT Nifty is also trading in the green, up 0.27% at 26,092, signaling a potentially flat to positive start for Indian markets.
Losers: Hong Kong's Hang Seng index is down 212.69 points (0.82%) at 26,070. The Shanghai Composite has fallen 0.63% to 3,961.62. Other indices like the SET Composite (-0.46%), Straits Times (-0.28%), and Jakarta Composite (-0.06%) are also trading with losses.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
