NEW YORK, New York -Global markets delivered a mixed performance on Thursday, with strong showings in some European and North American indices offset by sharp declines in the technology sector and several Asian markets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average managed a modest gain, while the Nasdaq Composite suffered a heavy loss.

The Standard and Poor's 500 closed at 6,908.86, down 37.27 points, or 0.54 percent. Trading volume on the index was reported at 3.452 billion.

In a display of resilience, the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged into positive territory, finishing the day at 49,499.20, a gain of 17.05 points, or 0.03 percent. The blue-chip index moved within a range of 49,237.38 and 49,815.22 on volume of 684.638 million.

The tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite was the day's biggest laggard among major U.S. indices, plunging 273.70 points to close at 22,878.38. The decline represented a drop of 1.18 percent, as investors rotated out of growth stocks.

The broader NYSE Composite Index fared better, adding 72.10 points to finish at 23,524.84, an increase of 0.31 percent. The NYSE American Composite Index also saw strong gains, jumping 86.54 points, or 1.00 percent, to settle at 8,716.18.

Reflecting a degree of market anxiety, the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) , often referred to as Wall Street's "fear gauge," rose sharply. It climbed 0.70 points, or 3.90 percent, to close at 18.63.

European markets were a mixed bag. The Cboe UK 100 rose 4.75 points, or 0.44 percent, to 1,080.54, while the FTSE 100 gained 40.29 points, or 0.37 percent, to end at 10,846.70. Germany's DAX climbed 113.08 points (0.45 percent) to 25,289.02, and France's CAC 40 added 61.86 points, closing at 8,620.93, a gain of 0.72 percent.

However, the BEL 20 in Brussels was a notable underperformer, suffering a steep drop of 177.43 points, or 3.16 percent, to finish at 5,439.05. The pan-European EURO STOXX 50 I slipped 11.76 points, or 0.19 percent, to 6,161.56.

Asian markets also ended the session with significant losses in several regions. Japan's Nikkei 225 dropped 454.61 points, or 0.77 percent, to 58,298.78. South Korea's KOSPI Composite Index tumbled 108.79 points, a decline of 1.72 percent, closing at 6,198.48. The IDX COMPOSITE in Indonesia fell 86.97 points, or 1.04 percent, to 8,235.26.

Hong Kong's HANG SENG INDEX bucked the trend, adding 66.03 points, or 0.25 percent, to finish at 26,447.05. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 10.20 points (0.11 percent) to 9,185.50, and the ALL ORDINARIES gained 13.50 points (0.14 percent) to 9,422.20. The TWSE Capitalization Weighted Stock Index in Taiwan was virtually flat, inching up 1.42 points, a change of 0.00 percent, to close at 35,414.49.

In the Americas, Canada's S&P/TSX Composite index surged, climbing 374.63 points, or 1.10 percent, to 34,501.96. Mexico's IPC rose 245.75 points (0.35 percent) to 71,390.10. Brazil's IBOVESPA slipped 242.44 points, or 0.13 percent, closing at 191,005.02, while Chile's S&P IPSA fell 83.59 points (0.75 percent) to 11,049.69. Argentina's MERVAL index saw a significant point drop, losing 45,456.50 points, though this represented a decline of 1.62 percent, closing at 2,754,419.50.

In currency and other index news, the US Dollar Index was nearly unchanged, dipping 0.03 points to 97.76, a loss of 0.03 percent. The SSE Composite Index in China also ended flat, down just 0.60 points, or 0.01 percent, at 4,146.63.

(This report incorporates quotes retrieved with the assistance of artificial intelligence).

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