NEW YORK, New York - Global stock markets presented a mixed picture at Thursday's closing bell, with a sharp rise in Nvidia shares boosting the Nasdaq and S&P 500, while European indexes were dragged lower by losses in the financial and consumer goods sectors.

On Wall Street, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite surged 411.16 points, or 1.57 percent, to close at 26,541.35.

The broader Standard and Poor's 500 index also climbed, gaining 55.29 points, a rise of 0.72 percent, to finish at 7,730.99.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average saw a more modest advance, adding 105.56 points, or 0.20 percent, to end the day at 53,569.44.

The positive sentiment in U.S. markets was largely driven by a surge in Nvidia stock. The chipmaker's shares jumped over 7 percent in premarket trading and continued to rally following the company's better-than-expected quarterly earnings and upbeat guidance . Strong results from other software companies like Salesforce also contributed to the tech sector's gains .

However, the upbeat mood on Wall Street was not mirrored across the Atlantic. European markets closed firmly in the red.

The UK's FTSE 100 dropped 85.58 points, a decline of 0.79 percent, to settle at 10,792.54.

In France, the CAC 40 was the worst performer among major European bourses, tumbling 142.52 points, or 1.68 per cent, to close at 8,319.87 . Meanwhile, Italy's FTSE MIB index fell 611.20 points, a loss of 1.10 percent, ending at 54,894.95.

Earlier in the day, Asian markets had also shown a mixed performance. Japan's Nikkei 225 slipped 0.20 percent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 0.34 percent. In contrast, mainland Chinese stocks advanced, with the Shanghai Composite gaining 1.13 percent

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