New Delhi, 17 March (H.S.):

Optimism permeates international bourses as positive cues from Wall Street and Europe propel Asian indices higher, even as Dow futures dip slightly, fostering a buoyant backdrop for Indian equities.

U.S. markets capped their prior session with robust gains: the S&P 500 climbed 1.01% to 6,699.38, Nasdaq surged 1.22% or 268.82 points to 22,374.18, though Dow futures traded marginally lower by 0.11% at 46,893.04.

European benchmarks also advanced firmly: FTSE rose 0.55% to 10,317.69, CAC 40 gained 0.31% to 7,935.97, and DAX ascended 0.50% or 116.72 points to 23,564.01.

Asia largely mirrored the uptrend, with eight of nine major indices in the green; Shanghai Composite lagged fractionally by 0.04% at 4,083.03, while Gift Nifty firmed 0.42% to 23,484, Nikkei edged up 0.20% to 53,859, SET Composite leaped 2.36% to 1,438.12, KOSPI vaulted 2.33% to 5,679.05, Taiwan Weighted rose 1.61% to 33,878.63, Jakarta Composite added 1.14% to 7,102.14, Straits Times climbed 1.12% to 4,923.30, and Hang Seng advanced 0.84% to 26,051.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar