New Delhi, 26 March (H.S.):

Global markets are delivering mixed signals today, with gains in the United States and Europe last session, but selling pressure intensifying across Asia in early trading. While major US indices closed on a strong note, US futures and most Asian bourses are trading lower, reflecting lingering risk‑off sentiment.

US markets ended the previous session on a positive note. The S&P 500 index rose 0.54 percent to close at 6,591.90 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 167.93 points, or 0.77 percent, to settle at 21,929.83 points.

Despite this strength, Dow Jones futures are trading weaker today, moving down 0.14 percent to 46,364.59 points, indicating some caution at the open.

European markets also saw buying interest in the last session. The FTSE 100 index climbed 141.68 points, or 1.40 percent, to end at 10,106.84 points. The CAC 40 index in Paris added 102.63 points, or 1.31 percent, to close at 7,846.55 points, while the German DAX index surged 320.17 points, or 1.39 percent, to finish at 22,957.08 points.

Across Asia, the mood is more cautious. Selling pressure is weighing on equity indices as investors react to geopolitical uncertainty. Iran has rejected a peace proposal from US President Donald Trump and has declared that it will only end the conflict on its own terms. This stance has added to jitters and kept the region under a negative bias.

Out of nine major Asian markets, seven indices are trading in the red today, while only two are holding onto modest gains. The Straits Times Index in Singapore is up 0.18 percent at 4,913.52 points, and the Taiwan Weighted Index is up 0.10 percent at 33,471.11 points. The rest of the region is under pressure.

The Nifty futures traded on the GIFT Nifty platform are down 110 points, or 0.47 percent, at 23,168 points, pointing to a weak start for Indian equities when local trading resumes. The Japanese Nikkei 225 index is down 163.62 points, or 0.30 percent, at 53,586 points, while the Korean benchmark KOSPI index has seen a sharper fall, plunging 172.70 points, or 3.06 percent, to 5,469.51 points.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index is down 377.95 points, or 1.49 percent, at 24,958 points. Thailand’s SET Composite is down 1.08 percent at 1,442.16 points, Indonesia’s Jakarta Composite is down 0.82 percent at 7,242.14 points, and China’s Shanghai Composite is down 0.57 percent at 3,909.41 points.

Overall, the mixed global backdrop is leaving investors in a risk‑averse mode, with safety‑driven sentiment dominating Asian bourses even as Europe and the US continue to show resilience from their prior sessions.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar