New Delhi, 27 April (H.S.):

Global equity markets are trading on a positive note as fresh optimism around peace‑focused diplomacy between Iran and the United States breathes confidence into investors worldwide. The latest move came after Iran put forward a new proposal to the U.S. regarding West Asia tensions, which has helped lift risk‑on sentiment even though key overseas futures and some European benchmarks remain uneven.

Americas and Europe: mixed but improved

In the United States, major indices closed higher in the previous session, led by continued buying interest. The S&P 500 ended up 0.80 per cent at 7,165.08, while the Nasdaq rose 1.63 per cent, or 398.09 points, to 24,836.60, reflecting strong demand for technology‑linked stocks. However, at the time of writing, Dow Jones futures were trading lower, indicating some caution ahead of the next U.S. session.

European markets, by contrast, closed weaker on the prior day. The FTSE 100 slipped 0.75 per cent to 10,379.08, the CAC 40 fell 0.85 per cent to 8,157.82, and the DAX dropped 0.11 per cent to 24,128.98, weighed by lingering concerns over regional growth and geopolitical uncertainty.

Asia sees broad‑based rally

Asian bourses are largely positive today, with eight of the nine major regional indices trading in the green and only one in the red. The Singapore Strait Times Index (SGX) is the sole exception, edged down 0.42 per cent to 4,903.01 amid local‑specific profit‑booking.

Other key Asian benchmarks are enjoying strong gains. The Hang Seng has risen 0.13 per cent to 26,012, while Taiwan’s weighted index has jumped 2.82 per cent, or 1,097.58 points, to 40,029.98. South Korea’s KOSPI has advanced 2.53 per cent, or 163.73 points, to 6,639.36. The Nikkei 225 is up 1.82 per cent, or 1,087.82 points, to 60,804, reflecting renewed appetite for export‑driven Japanese equities.

Elsewhere in Asia, the SET Composite (Thailand) is up 1.60 per cent at 1,479.40, Indonesia’s Jakarta Composite has gained 0.31 per cent to 7,151.94, and China’s Shanghai Composite has added 0.15 per cent to 4,085.88, signalling broad‑based strength across the region on hopes of Middle East de‑escalation and lower oil‑price volatility.

GIFT Nifty and other leading gauges

The GIFT Nifty is also sending a positive signal for India, trading 83 points, or 0.35 per cent, higher at 24,037, pointing to a firm opening for domestic indices whenever Indian markets next take the floor. That, along with the rally in Asia, suggests that global risk appetite has tilted back toward equities, anchored by improving peace‑talk expectations in West Asia and softer crude‑oil pressure.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar