New Delhi, 08 January (H.S.): Global markets sent mixed signals on Thursday, influencing sentiment ahead of the domestic open. U.S. equities faced selling pressure in the prior session, with Dow Jones futures trading marginally lower today.

European benchmarks closed mixed, while Asian markets exhibited a similar patchy performance.Selling dominated Wall Street yesterday, triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks on dividend buybacks.

Trump stipulated that companies in the defense sector could pursue buybacks only after increasing research and development spending. This statement halted the Dow's three-day rally, with the index tumbling 470 points to close lower.

The S&P 500 ended 0.34% weaker at 6,920.93, while the Nasdaq bucked the trend, gaining 0.12% to settle at 23,575.95. Dow Jones futures hovered at 48,990.94, down a symbolic 0.01% in early indications.

European markets showed divergence in the previous session. The FTSE index fell 0.74% to 10,048.21, and the CAC dipped marginally 0.04% to 8,233.92. Conversely, the DAX surged 230.06 points or 0.92% to 25,122.26.

Asian trading remained mixed today, with six of nine major indices in red territory and three in green. The Kospi advanced 0.46% to 4,572.04, Jakarta Composite rose 0.38% to 8,978.55, and Shanghai Composite edged up 0.09% to 4,089.45.

On the flip side, Gift Nifty weakened 0.19% to 26,176.50, and Straits Times slipped 0.12% to 4,741.98. Hong Kong's Hang Seng suffered a sharp drop, declining 315.95 points or 1.19% to 26,143. The SET Composite fell 1.13% to 1,266.32, Nikkei shed 567.98 points or 1.09% to 51,394, and Taiwan Weighted eased 0.04% to 30,421.91.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar