New Delhi, Aug 27 (HS): With domestic trading halted on account of Ganesh Chaturthi, all eyes remained on global markets today, where trends were seen diverging. Wall Street staged a firm close in its previous session, while Dow Jones Futures continued to edge higher in early Wednesday trade. In contrast, European equities faced persistent selling pressure, whereas most Asian markets displayed a steady upward bias.

Out of nine key Asian indices, eight traded in positive territory with modest gains, while only GIFT Nifty remained under selling pressure, slipping 0.31% to 24,620.50. Japan’s Nikkei Index climbed 110.60 points, or 0.26%, to 42,505, while Singapore’s Straits Times Index advanced 0.15% to 4,250.18. Taiwan’s Weighted Index emerged as the day’s top performer, jumping 214.56 points, or 0.88%, to 24,519.66.

Elsewhere in Asia, Shanghai Composite rose 0.33% to 3,881.07, Thailand’s SET Composite gained 0.28% to 1,254.75, Indonesia’s Jakarta Composite added 0.25% to 7,925.56, South Korea’s Kospi saw a marginal uptick of 0.03% to 3,180.16, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index edged up 0.03% to 25,533.

Meanwhile, European markets extended their losing streak overnight. The UK’s FTSE 100 slipped 0.60% to 9,265.80, Germany’s DAX shed 120.25 points, or 0.50%, to 24,152.87, while France’s CAC 40 posted the sharpest decline, tumbling 1.73% to 7,709.81.

On Wall Street, buying interest remained strong in Tuesday’s session. The S&P 500 climbed 0.41% to close at 6,465.94, while the Nasdaq added 94.98 points, or 0.44%, to 21,544.27. In early Wednesday trading, Dow Jones Futures showed modest gains, up 0.08% at 45,454.76.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar