New Delhi, 12 August (H.S.): Global financial markets are showing signs of weakness on Wednesday, with US markets coming under pressure in the previous session, while Dow Jones futures are also trading marginally lower. European markets ended mixed in the previous session, while Asian equities are witnessing a mixed trend today.

Investors in the United States remained cautious ahead of the release of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation data scheduled for Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell sharply from its intraday high, declining around 430 points before recovering some ground to close 180 points lower.

The S&P 500 ended the previous session down 0.32 per cent at 7,728.20 points. The Nasdaq Composite also declined 159.91 points, or 0.60 per cent, to close at 26,445.45 points.

Meanwhile, Dow Jones futures were trading with a marginal decline of 0.02 per cent at 53,783.16 points.

European Markets End Mixed

European equities closed mixed after remaining under pressure during the previous trading session. The FTSE index declined 0.17 per cent to close at 10,844.19 points, while France’s CAC index fell 0.13 per cent to end at 8,714.94 points.

Germany’s DAX bucked the trend, gaining 0.26 per cent to close at 26,391.42 points.

Asian Markets Witness Mixed Trend

Asian markets were trading on a mixed note on Wednesday. Of the nine major Asian indices being tracked, five were trading in positive territory, while three were in the red. Thailand’s SET Composite Index remained unchanged as the stock exchange was closed for a holiday.

GIFT Nifty was trading marginally lower by 0.03 per cent at 24,508.50 points. Singapore’s Straits Times Index declined 0.40 per cent to 5,731.40 points.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index recorded a sharp decline, falling 290.82 points, or 1.15 per cent, to trade at 25,362 points.

In contrast, Japan’s Nikkei Index gained 379.78 points, or 0.56 per cent, to reach 67,350 points. Taiwan’s Weighted Index also advanced 225.49 points, or 0.50 per cent, to 45,346.21 points.

South Korea’s KOSPI recorded a strong rally, climbing 282.70 points, or 4.27 per cent, to 6,628.23 points.

Indonesia’s Jakarta Composite Index was trading 0.47 per cent higher at 6,297.59 points, while China’s Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.31 per cent to reach 3,946.51 points.

Investors across global markets are closely watching the US inflation data, which could influence expectations regarding the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy and the broader direction of financial markets.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar