New Delhi, 30 July (H.S.):

Global markets signalled weakness on Thursday, with US equities ending the previous session sharply lower following the US Federal Reserve's decision to keep interest rates unchanged. While Dow Jones Futures traded modestly higher in early trade, European markets closed on a mixed note and Asian markets also witnessed mixed trading.

The US Federal Reserve's decision to maintain interest rates weighed on investor sentiment across both the equity and bond markets, triggering a sharp sell-off on Wall Street. During the regular trading session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 1,153.18 points, or 2.19 per cent. The S&P 500 index declined 112.63 points, or 1.52 per cent, to close at 7,316.15. The Nasdaq Composite also fell 433.97 points, or 1.74 per cent, ending the session at 24,442.94.

However, Dow Jones Futures showed signs of recovery in early trading on Thursday, gaining 0.13 per cent to trade at 51,660.39.

European markets ended the previous session with mixed results. The FTSE index advanced 0.34 per cent to close at 10,908.41. In contrast, France's CAC index declined 0.60 per cent to settle at 8,408.27, while Germany's DAX index slipped marginally by 0.01 per cent to close at 25,460.48.

Asian markets also traded on a mixed note on Thursday. Among the nine major regional indices, five were trading in negative territory while four posted gains.

Gift Nifty edged up 0.05 per cent to 24,315.50. Japan's Nikkei index gained 300.81 points, or 0.49 per cent, to trade at 61,735. Taiwan's Weighted Index surged 489.57 points, or 1.22 per cent, to 40,528.75, while Indonesia's Jakarta Composite Index rose 0.84 per cent to 6,142.38.

On the downside, Singapore's Straits Times Index fell 0.77 per cent to 5,669.14. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index slipped 0.07 per cent to 25,789. South Korea's Kospi recorded a sharp decline of 99.34 points, or 1.75 per cent, to 5,563.90. Thailand's SET Composite Index was down 1.56 per cent at 1,599.18, while China's Shanghai Composite Index dropped 1.15 per cent to trade at 3,784.55.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar