New Delhi, 15 December (H.S.):

Global markets began the week on a cautious note, reflecting weak cues after a sharp selloff on Wall Street. While Dow Jones futures traded higher in early hours, overall sentiment across major economies remained bearish, with both European and Asian indices showing pressure amid widespread profit-booking.

The U.S. markets closed sharply lower in the previous session as heavy selling in artificial intelligence and technology stocks weighed on investor sentiment. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped nearly 400 points, while the S&P 500 slipped 1.07%. The Nasdaq Composite tumbled 406.17 points (1.72%) to close at 23,187.69.

However, Dow Jones futures indicated slight relief on Monday, trading 164.85 points higher (0.34%) at 48,622.90.In Europe, major indices also ended in the red on Friday. The FTSE 100 fell 0.56% to 9,649.03, the CAC 40 slipped 0.21% to 8,068.62, and Germany’s DAX dropped 108.12 points (0.45%) to settle at 24,186.49.

Across Asia, markets largely mirrored the global downtrend. Out of the nine major indices, seven traded lower while only two managed to stay in positive territory. The Jakarta Composite Index rose 0.49% to 8,702.56, and the SET Composite Index in Thailand gained 0.30% to 1,257.81.

On the downside, GIFT Nifty was down 116 points (0.44%) at 26,019, while Singapore’s Straits Times Index slipped 0.27% to 4,573.97. South Korea’s KOSPI Index saw a sharp decline of 1.65%, falling to 4,098.32.Japan’s Nikkei 225 tumbled 780.55 points (1.54%) to 50,056, while the Taiwan Weighted Index slid 317.79 points (1.13%) to 27,880.23. The Hang Seng Index dropped 247.79 points (0.96%) to 25,729, and China’s Shanghai Composite Index edged 0.11% lower to 3,884.93.

Market analysts attributed the global weakness to rising uncertainty around U.S. inflation data, central bank policy outlooks, and concerns over AI sector overvaluation, which triggered broad-based profit-taking across equity markets.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar