New Delhi, 14 July (H.S.):

Global markets signalled weakness on Tuesday, with US equities ending the previous session in negative territory and Asian markets witnessing broad-based selling. Dow Jones Futures also traded lower, reflecting continued investor caution. While European markets closed with modest gains in the previous session, most major Asian indices remained under pressure.

Investor sentiment in the United States weakened amid escalating tensions in West Asia and a sharp rise in crude oil prices. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 138.31 points, or 0.26 per cent, to close at 52,498.70. The S&P 500 ended the session 0.79 per cent lower at 7,515.34, while the Nasdaq Composite plunged 404.43 points, or 1.55 per cent, to settle at 25,873.18.

Dow Jones Futures continued to trade in negative territory on Tuesday, falling 145.97 points, or 0.28 per cent, to 52,352.67.

European markets, however, maintained a positive bias during the previous trading session. The FTSE Index edged up 0.01 per cent to close at 10,498.29. France's CAC 40 gained 0.15 per cent to settle at 8,351.50, while Germany's DAX advanced 0.19 per cent to close at 25,114.25.

Asian markets witnessed widespread selling pressure on Tuesday. Eight of the region's nine major benchmark indices were trading in the red, with only Indonesia's Jakarta Composite Index posting gains. The Jakarta Composite was up 0.55 per cent at 6,071.22.

Among the declining markets, GIFT Nifty was down 121.50 points, or 0.50 per cent, at 24,096.50. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index slipped 121.72 points, or 0.51 per cent, to 24,092.

Taiwan's Weighted Index registered the steepest decline in the region, tumbling 1,509.68 points, or 3.33 per cent, to 43,870.84.

South Korea's Kospi Index also witnessed sharp weakness, falling 139.97 points, or 2.06 per cent, to 6,666.96. Thailand's SET Composite Index declined 0.71 per cent to 1,616.40.

Meanwhile, China's Shanghai Composite Index was down 0.66 per cent at 3,887.92. Japan's Nikkei Index fell 312.73 points, or 0.47 per cent, to 66,930, while Singapore's Straits Times Index slipped 0.18 per cent to 5,460.42.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar