NEW DELHI, June 3 (HS): Global markets offered mixed signals on Wednesday. US equities closed higher in the previous session, although Dow Jones Futures were trading marginally lower and largely flat today. European markets also ended the previous session in positive territory, while Asian markets witnessed mixed trading activity during the day.

US markets experienced significant volatility in the previous session. Strong gains in technology and growth stocks, including those of NVIDIA, Marvell Technology, Tesla and Apple, helped Wall Street post substantial early gains. However, reports of escalating tensions with Iran triggered a wave of selling later in the session. Despite the volatility, the late-session sell-off had only a limited impact on the major indices.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 228.91 points, or 0.45 percent, to close at 51,307.79. The S&P 500 Index gained 0.13 percent to finish at 7,609.78, while the Nasdaq Composite edged up 0.03 percent to close at 27,093.90. Meanwhile, Dow Jones Futures were trading at 51,304.56, down a marginal 0.01 percent.

European markets also maintained a positive trend in the previous session. The FTSE Index rose 0.33 percent to settle at 10,373.51. France’s CAC 40 surged 0.76 percent to close at 8,209.09, while Germany’s DAX gained 0.48 percent to end at 25,124.17.

Asian markets displayed a mixed performance on Wednesday. Among the region’s nine major markets, four indices were trading in positive territory, while three remained in the red. Trading was closed in South Korea and Thailand due to holidays, leaving the KOSPI and SET Composite indices unchanged.

Gift Nifty was trading at 23,290, down 202.50 points or 0.86 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index declined sharply by 446.32 points, or 1.74 percent, to 25,592. Indonesia’s Jakarta Composite Index witnessed a steep fall of 249.17 points, or 4.02 percent, slipping to 5,946.26.

On the positive side, Singapore’s Straits Times Index advanced 0.75 percent to 5,135.50. China’s Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.56 percent to reach 4,097.94. Japan’s Nikkei Index recorded a strong rally, surging 1,937.76 points, or 2.90 percent, to 68,672. Taiwan’s Weighted Index also traded firmly higher, rising 916.98 points, or 2.01 percent, to 46,474.29.

Market participants continue to closely monitor geopolitical developments in West Asia, movements in global energy prices, and upcoming economic data releases, all of which are expected to influence investor sentiment across international markets.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar