New Delhi, 16 December (H.S.): Global equity markets presented a bifurcated landscape on Tuesday, with divergent signals from major regions setting a cautious tone for the trading session.
US Markets Close in Red, Futures Edge Up Slightly
Wall Street benchmarks concluded Monday's session lower, pressured by sustained selling in artificial intelligence-related stocks amid concerns over valuation bubbles and rising Treasury yields. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 246 points, or 0.5%, to settle at 48,458.05, while the S&P 500 dipped 0.16% and the Nasdaq Composite tumbled 0.61% to 23,053.70.
Dow Jones futures, however, traded marginally higher at around 48,418 on Tuesday, hinting at potential stabilization ahead of key economic data releases.
European Indices Post Gains Despite Cautious Outlook
In contrast, European markets exhibited resilience on Monday, buoyed by optimism surrounding upcoming central bank decisions. London's FTSE 100 surged 1.05%, or 102.28 points, to close at 9,751.31, with Paris's CAC 40 advancing 0.69% to 8,124.88 and Frankfurt's DAX edging up 0.18% to 24,229.91.
Investors appeared unfazed by broader uncertainties, focusing instead on anticipated policy steadiness from the European Central Bank.
Asian Bourses Plunge Uniformly on Risk-Off Sentiment
Asian markets opened sharply lower on Tuesday, reflecting uniform selling pressure across the region as all nine major indices traded in negative territory. Japan's Nikkei 225 plunged 1.29%, or 646 points, to 49,522, Hong Kong's Hang Seng skidded 1.95%, or nearly 490 points, to 25,139, and South Korea's Kospi slumped 1.78% to 4,017.74.
China's Shanghai Composite fell 1.22% to 3,820.85, Taiwan Weighted dropped 1.60% to 27,421.55, and other indices like Straits Times, SET Composite, and Jakarta Composite declined between 0.09% and 0.86%.
Gift Nifty futures signaled weakness for Indian markets, slipping 0.35%, or 92 points, to 25,998.50.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
