Delhi, 29 October (H.S.): Global markets presented a mixed landscape for investors on Wednesday, with Wall Street closing higher in the previous session while Asian equities broadly advanced. The positive momentum in Asia came despite signs of weakness in US futures and a varied performance across European bourses.

On Wall Street, major indices gained ground ahead of the forthcoming U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate decision. The S&P 500 index rose by 0.23% to close at 6,890.89, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite jumped 0.80% to end at 23,827.49. However, Dow Jones Futures indicated a softer start for the current session, trading down by a marginal 0.04%.

European markets ended Tuesday’s session with mixed results; the FTSE index climbed 0.44%, while the CAC and DAX indices fell by 0.28% and 0.12%, respectively.

In contrast, Asian markets showed widespread strength on Wednesday. Japan’s Nikkei index led the gains with a remarkable surge of 1.98%, or 995.82 points, to trade at 51,215. Other significant movers included Taiwan’s Weighted Index, which was up 1.54%, South Korea’s KOSPI index with a 1.25% gain, and the Shanghai Composite, which rose 0.37%. GIFT Nifty was also trading in the green, up 0.28%.

However, not all markets participated in the rally; the Straits Times Index and the Jakarta Composite Index were trading lower. The Hong Kong market remained closed for a public holiday.

—————

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar