New Delhi, 15 November (H.S.): Global stock markets experienced a volatile week marked by mixed signals, as elevated US inflation figures, concerns over the Federal Reserve’s interest rate trajectory and a major leadership change at semiconductor giant NVIDIA kept investors cautious. Despite the uncertainty, European and several leading Asian markets managed to register weekly gains.
Wall Street witnessed considerable volatility in technology stocks during the week. News of NVIDIA Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang’s resignation, coupled with selling pressure in semiconductor shares, influenced market sentiment. The Nasdaq Composite ended Friday’s trading session lower at 25,136.27 points. In contrast, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 managed to hold on to their gains over the week, supported by strength in traditional industrial and energy stocks.
European markets recorded an overall positive performance, with major benchmark indices closing higher on a weekly basis. Better-than-expected quarterly corporate results and buying interest in banking stocks provided support to the region’s equity markets. On the final trading day of the week, the United Kingdom’s FTSE index rose 0.36 per cent to close at 10,902.56 points. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 also ended the week in positive territory.
Asian markets displayed a mixed but broadly positive trend during the week. Japan’s Nikkei 225, South Korea’s KOSPI and Taiwan’s equity markets registered strong gains, supported by buying in semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related stocks. In contrast, China’s Shanghai Composite and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng indices remained under pressure amid concerns over economic sluggishness.
GIFT Nifty, which provides an early indication of the likely direction of the Indian stock market, also remained firm during the week, holding comfortably above the 25,200-point mark.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
