Delhi, 7 November (H.S.): Global markets continued to flash weak signals on Friday, with U.S. markets closing lower in the previous session and Asian indices experiencing a widespread sell-off. European markets also remained under significant selling pressure.

Pessimism prevailed on Wall Street during the last session following the release of new U.S. unemployment and inflation data, leading to a decline in major indices. The S&P 500 index fell 1.12% to close at 6,720.32, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.90%, or 446.04 points, to end at 23,053.76.

In a slight contrast, Dow Jones Futures were seen trading with a marginal gain of 0.08% at 46,947.71.European markets also faced consistent pressure in the prior session. The FTSE index slipped 0.42% to close at 9,735.78. The CAC index ended the session down 1.37%, or 109.46 points, at 7,964.77, and the DAX index fell 1.33%, or 315.72 points, to close at 23,734.02.

The bearish sentiment carried over into Asian markets, with most indices trading in the red. Out of nine major markets in the region, seven were declining, while only two managed to post modest gains. The Jakarta Composite Index was up 0.17% at 8,350.94, and the Straits Times Index was trading 0.12% higher at 4,490.39.

Conversely, the Gift Nifty was trading at 25,440.50, down 150 points or 0.59%. The Taiwan Weighted Index fell 0.46% to 27,769.76. South Korea's Kospi Index saw a sharp decline, plummeting 2.72%, or 109.40 points, to 3,917.05. Japan's Nikkei 225 index tumbled 2.14%, or 1,088.68 points, to 49,795.

Elsewhere, the Hang Seng Index was down 1.11% at 26,193, the Shanghai Composite fell 0.16% to 4,001.24, and the SET Composite Index slipped 0.09% to 1,312.15.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar