New Delhi, 03 July (H.S.): Global markets offered positive cues on Friday, with investor sentiment remaining upbeat despite a mixed performance on Wall Street in the previous session. While US equities faced pressure amid a sharp decline in semiconductor stocks, Dow Jones futures traded firmly higher. European markets closed with strong gains, and most Asian markets were trading in positive territory during early hours.

US markets remained under pressure in the previous trading session due to a steep decline in chipmaker stocks. The S&P 500 ended virtually unchanged, closing at 7,483.24 with a marginal gain of 0.01 point. The Nasdaq Composite fell 207.36 points, or 0.80 per cent, to close at 25,832.67. Meanwhile, Dow Jones futures were trading 114.17 points, or 0.22 per cent, higher at 53,014.24.

European markets witnessed broad-based buying in the previous session. The FTSE Index climbed 174.53 points, or 1.64 per cent, to close at 10,652.87. France's CAC Index advanced 137.57 points, or 1.62 per cent, to settle at 8,474.86, while Germany's DAX surged 540.60 points, or 2.11 per cent, to finish at 25,580.88.

Asian markets also displayed a largely positive trend on Friday. Of the nine major regional indices, eight were trading in the green, while only one remained in negative territory. Taiwan's Weighted Index was the sole laggard, declining 320.16 points, or 0.69 per cent, to 46,424.

On the positive side, Gift Nifty gained 148 points, or 0.61 per cent, to trade at 24,405.50. China's Shanghai Composite rose 0.69 per cent to 4,056.78.

South Korea's Kospi recorded the strongest gains in the region, surging 242.92 points, or 3.08 per cent, to 7,891.01.

Indonesia's Jakarta Composite also posted robust gains, rising 121.94 points, or 2.08 per cent, to 5,866.50. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index climbed 331.97 points, or 1.42 per cent, to 23,387.

Meanwhile, Thailand's SET Composite advanced 1.22 per cent to 1,613.27, Japan's Nikkei Index rose 566.85 points, or 0.82 per cent, to 69,300, and Singapore's Straits Times Index gained 0.39 per cent to trade at 5,237.36.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar