NEW YORK, New York -U.S.  equity markets finished Thursday's session in negative territory, with all three major indices posting declines as selling pressure weighed on U.S. stocks across the board. The pullback was broad-based, as Iran-U.S. tensions escalated throughout the Gulf.

S&P 500 Slides

The Standard and Poor's 500 closed at 7,591.79, down 44.57 points, a decline of 0.58 percent. The index traded between a session low of 7,580.06 and a high of 7,612.86, with volume of 2.647B. Its 52-week range spans 6,316.91 to 7,816.70.

Dow Jones Retreats

The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished at 52,064.46, shedding 316.20 points, or 0.60 percent, on volume of 386.283M. The blue-chip index moved between 51,962.71 and 52,291.85 during the session, against a yearly range of 45,057.28 to 54,744.33.

NASDAQ Composite Falls

The NASDAQ Composite ended at 26,081.72, down 171.62 points, or 0.65 percent, with volume of 5.485B. It traded between 25,979.54 and 26,178.25 on the day, within a 52-week range of 20,690.25 to 27,190.21.

Market Takeaway

Thursday's session delivered a uniform decline acrossU.S. markets, with the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and NASDAQ Composite each falling between 0.58 percent and 0.65 percent. With all three benchmarks closing near the lower end of their daily ranges, the data point to sustained selling pressure into the close rather than a late-session rebound.

U.S. Dollar Strengthens Broadly Thursday as Iran-US Hostilities Rattle Currency Markets

The U.S. dollar traded stronger across the board on Thursday, as escalating hostilities between Iran and the United States drove investors toward the safe-haven currency and away from risk-sensitive peers. Every major pair in the latest foreign exchange quotes showed the greenback either gaining ground or holding firm, with the Australian dollar suffering the steepest losses of the session.

Euro Slips Against the Dollar

The EUR-USD pair stood at 1.1612, with the euro down 0.18 percent against the dollar. The move extended the single currency's recent softness, as traders weighed the prospect of prolonged geopolitical uncertainty against an already fragile European growth outlook.

Yen Weakens Sharply

The USD-JPY pair rose to 154.32 a gain of 0.76 in the pair, equivalent to 0.49 percent. The yen's decline underscored the broader flight into dollar-denominated assets, with the Japanese currency — traditionally itself a safe haven — failing to attract support amid the flare-up in Middle East tensions.

Sterling Retreats

The GBP-USD pair fell to 1.3511, with the pound down 0.27 percent against the dollar. Sterling's losses came despite no major UK data releases, suggesting the move was driven largely by dollar strength rather than any domestic deterioration in sentiment.

Australian Dollar Hit Hardest

The AUD-USD pair dropped to 0.7157, a decline of 0.83 percent — the largest percentage move among the majors quoted. The Aussie, often viewed as a proxy for global risk appetite and closely tied to commodity demand, bore the brunt of the risk-off shift triggered by the Iran-US escalation.

Canadian Dollar and Swiss Franc Also Weaker

The USD-CAD pair traded at 1.3833, with the loonie down 0.20 percent against the dollar. The Swiss franc, another traditional safe haven, also lost ground, with USD-CHF at 0.8130, a decline of 0.35 percent for the franc.

Market Takeaway

Thursday's FX session was defined by a single dominant theme: the dollar as the destination of choice when geopolitical risk spikes. With Iran-US hostilities intensifying, traders shed exposure to growth-linked and higher-yielding currencies, pushing the Australian dollar down 0.83 percent, the yen 0.49 percent lower, and the franc 0.35 percent weaker. Even the euro and pound — neither of which is typically considered a high-beta currency — gave up 0.18 percent and 0.27 percent respectively. The breadth of the dollar's advance, touching every major pair quoted, suggests the move reflects a genuine safe-haven bid rather than isolated weakness in any single counterpart.

Global Stock Markets Close Mostly Lower Thursday as Canadian, UK, European and Asian Stocks Retreat; India and Japan Buck the Trend

World stock markets finished Thursday's session predominantly in negative territory, as investors weighed a broad wave of selling across Canada, UK, Europe and Asian benchmarks. Only two major indices — India's S&P BSE SENSEX and Japan's Nikkei 225 — managed to post gains, while the rest of the globe's major bourses closed in the red.

Canada Leads Losses in Norht America

Canada's S&P/TSX Composite index was the weakest performer in North America, closing at 35,506.28, down 400.28 points, or 1.11 percent, on volume of 271.425M. The index touched a session low of 35,427.46 against a high of 35,739.40, and its 52-week range stands at 29,178.60 to 37,069.10.

UK and Europe Slide Across the Board

In London, the FTSE 100 closed at 10,608.92, down 61.14 points, a decline of 0.57 percent. The index's day range saw a low of 10,594.34 against a high of 10,688.04, well within its 52-week range of 9,177.10 to 10,989.50.

On the continent, Germany's DAX P fell to 25,361.15, shedding 215.30 points, or 0.84 percent, after touching a session high of 25,612.09. The index's 52-week low stands at 21,863.81, with a high of 26,618.74.

In France, the CAC 40 ended at 8,116.76, down 39.91 points, or 0.49 percent. It traded between 8,114.00 and 8,190.08 on the day, against a yearly range of 7,505.27 to 8,755.03.

The EURO STOXX 50 I closed at 6,268.97, a loss of 42.59 points, or 0.67 percent. Its session low was 6,262.48 and its high 6,329.48, while its 52-week range spans 5,354.61 to 6,577.20.

The Euronext 100 Index finished at 1,886.69, down 10.00 points, or 0.53 percent, having traded between 1,884.09 and 1,901.77. Its yearly range is 1,603.35 to 1,984.60.

In Belgium, the BEL 20 was among Europe's weaker performers, closing at 5,688.83, down 49.08 points, or 0.86 percent. The index traded between 5,688.83 and 5,748.52, within a 52-week range of 4,631.38 to 5,905.83.

Asian Stock Markets Close  Mostly Lower

In Hong Kong on Thursday, the HANG SENG INDEX dropped to 24,954.47, a fall of 320.49 points, or 1.27 percent. The session saw a low of 24,889.64 and a high of 25,021.81, against a yearly range of 22,518.00 to 28,056.10.

Singapore's STI Index closed at 5,689.75, down 39.88 points, or 0.70 percent, after trading between 5,684.06 and 5,712.89. Its 52-week range is 4,264.99 to 5,828.50.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 [XJO] ended at 8,819.40, down 92.00 points, or 1.03 percent. The index's low for the day was 8,742.60, with a high of 8,911.40, and a yearly range of 8,262.40 to 9,296.70.

The broader ALL ORDINARIES [XAO] closed at 9,008.30, a loss of 94.60 points, or 1.04 percent, trading between 8,936.10 and 9,102.90. Its 52-week range is 8,454.90 to 9,474.80.

New Zealand's S&P/NZX 50 INDEX GROSS fell to 13,711.01, down 108.42 points, or 0.78 percent. The session low on Thursday was 13,687.29 and the high 13,856.87, against a yearly range of 12,689.78 to 14,069.22.

Indonesia's IDX COMPOSITE was one of the region's sharpest decliners, falling to 6,589.34, down 88.86 points, or 1.33 percent. It traded between 6,585.56 and 6,712.50 on the day, within a yearly range of 5,317.91 to 9,174.47.

The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI closed at 1,705.52, down 8.82 points, or 0.51 percent, after moving between 1,701.68 and 1,713.08. Its 52-week range stands at 1,580.16 to 1,771.25.

South Korea's KOSPI Composite Index closed at 7,033.92, down 17.72 points, or 0.25 percent. The index showed no session high or low values, and its 52-week high stands at 9,385.59.

In Taiwan Thursday, the TSEC CAPITALIZATION WEIGHTED ST ended at 46,940.49, down 242.87 points, or 0.51 percent. It traded between 46,573.47 and 47,130.96, within a 52-week range of 25,174.13 to 48,218.87.

The Outliers: India and Japan Post Gains

Defying the global trend, India's S&P BSE SENSEX rose to 74,902.59, up 138.37 points, or 0.19 percent. The index traded between 74,598.47 and 74,910.96, against a 52-week range of 71,545.81 to 86,159.02.

Japan's Nikkei 225 was the strongest gainer of the day, closing at 65,270.95, up 128.17 points, or 0.20 percent.

Middle East and African Markets Tack on to Global Trend, Finish Sharply Lower

In the Middle East, Israel's TA-125 closed at 4,121.28, down 57.77 points, or 1.38 percent, after trading between 4,101.62 and 4,187.90. Its yearly range is 3,023.40 to 4,588.51.

In Egypt, the EGX 30 Price Return Index finished at 56,280.20, down 220.50 points, or 0.39 percent, on volume of 251.988M. The index traded between 56,237.50 and 56,720.30, matching both its 52-week low and high for the session.

South Africa's Top 40 USD Net TRI Index was the day's worst performer, plunging to 7,150.25, down 173.17 points, or 2.36 percent. It traded between 7,087.72 and 7,357.83, against a yearly range of 5,848.98 to 8,184.71.

Mainland China's SSE Composite Index closed at 3,934.40, down 17.10 points, or 0.43 percent, on volume of 1.223B. The index moved between 3,927.35 and 3,949.26, within a 52-week range of 3,741.11 to 4,258.86.

Market Takeaway

Thursday's session painted a picture of cautious sentiment across most major markets, with Canadian, UK, and European indices posting consistent declines and Asian  benchmarks largely following suit. South Africa's Top 40 USD Net TRI Index led losses with a 2.36 percent drop, while Indonesia and Israel each fell more than 1.3 percent. Against that backdrop, the modest gains in India and Japan stood out as the rare bright spots in an otherwise downbeat global trading day.

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

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