New Delhi, 24 June (H.S.):

Global markets are sending weak signals on Wednesday, with U.S. and European equities ending the previous session in negative territory. While Dow Jones Futures were trading marginally lower at a flat level, Asian markets witnessed mixed trading activity amid cautious investor sentiment.

U.S. markets closed lower in the previous session, weighed down by a sharp decline in semiconductor stocks and concerns surrounding the U.S. Federal Reserve’s hawkish monetary policy stance. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.09 per cent to close at 51,665.49 points.

Similarly, the S&P 500 Index ended the session down 107.33 points, or 1.44 per cent, at 7,365.46 points. The Nasdaq Composite suffered the steepest decline among the major benchmarks, falling 545.30 points, or 2.08 per cent, to settle at 25,621.30 points.

Meanwhile, Dow Jones Futures were trading marginally lower by 0.01 per cent at 51,663.58 points, indicating a subdued start for the U.S. market.

European markets also remained under sustained selling pressure during the previous trading session. The FTSE Index declined 0.09 per cent to close at 10,428.85 points.

Likewise, the CAC Index fell 0.71 per cent to end the session at 8,340.71 points, while Germany’s DAX Index dropped 246.11 points, or 0.99 per cent, to close at 24,893.58 points.

Asian markets, however, presented a mixed picture during Wednesday’s trading session. Of the nine major Asian indices being tracked, five were trading in negative territory, while four were posting gains.

South Korea’s KOSPI Index was trading 92.81 points, or 1.12 per cent, higher at 8,296.65 points. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 0.30 per cent to reach 23,406 points.

Similarly, GIFT Nifty advanced 0.25 per cent to 23,869.50 points, while Singapore’s Straits Times Index rose 0.20 per cent to 5,216.41 points.

On the downside, Japan’s Nikkei Index was trading 688.38 points, or 0.99 per cent, lower at 69,100 points. China’s Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.25 per cent to 4,096.14 points.

Taiwan’s Weighted Index recorded the sharpest decline among major Asian markets, falling 1,136.78 points, or 2.47 per cent, to 45,963.87 points.

In addition, Indonesia’s Jakarta Composite Index was down 1.06 per cent at 6,037.56 points, while Thailand’s SET Composite Index slipped 0.04 per cent to 1,540.29 points.

The mixed performance across Asia reflects investor caution following weakness in U.S. and European markets, with concerns over global growth prospects, technology-sector losses, and the outlook for interest rates continuing to influence market sentiment.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar