Nasdaq Composite plummets 296 points Wednesday

NEW YORK, New York - Stock markets across North America ended Wednesday's session in the red, as concerns over economic growth and corporate earnings weighed on investor sentiment. Here's how the major indices performed:

S&P 500:
The broad-based index declined by 53.78 points, closing at 5,797.42, a drop of 0.92 percent, with trading volume reaching 2.335 billion shares.

Dow Jones Industrial Average:
The Dow fell 409.94 points to finish at 42,514.95, down 0.96 percent, with 352.639 million shares changing hands.

NASDAQ Composite:
Tech-heavy NASDAQ saw the sharpest decline, losing 296.47 points to close at 18,276.65, a decrease of 1.60 percent, on a trading volume of 5.51 billion shares.

Global Forex Markets See Mixed Movements on Wednesday

The foreign exchange market experienced notable fluctuations on Wednesday, with currencies showing mixed performance against the U.S. dollar. Below is a summary of the latest exchange rate movements:

EUR/USD (Euro / US Dollar):
The euro dipped slightly against the US dollar, trading at 1.0784, down 0.11 percent.

USD/JPY (US Dollar / Japanese Yen):
The dollar surged against the yen, reaching 152.61, up by 1.02 percent, reflecting strong momentum for the greenback.

USD/CAD (US Dollar / Canadian Dollar):
The US dollar appreciated marginally, trading at 1.3837, an increase of 0.15 percent.

GBP/USD (British Pound / US Dollar):
The British pound declined to 1.2931 against the dollar, slipping 0.40 percent amid market uncertainty.

USD/CHF (US Dollar / Swiss Franc):
The dollar rose slightly, trading at 0.8661, marking an increase of 0.10 percent against the Swiss franc.

AUD/USD (Australian Dollar / US Dollar):
The Australian dollar weakened, settling at 0.6632, down 0.73 percent.

NZD/USD (New Zealand Dollar / US Dollar):
The New Zealand dollar also dropped, last trading at 0.6005, a decline of 0.62 percent.

The forex market's performance on Wednesday showcased the dollar's strength against several major currencies, particularly the yen and Canadian dollar. At the same time, both the Australian and New Zealand dollars faced downward pressure, reflecting concerns about economic conditions in the Asia-Pacific region. Meanwhile, the euro and British pound posted minor losses as traders kept a close eye on evolving global economic trends.

Global Stock Markets End Wednesday with Mixed Results

Wednesday's trading session highlighted divergent market movements, with European markets generally under pressure, while some Asian indices, including the Hang Seng and KOSPI, posted solid gains. Here's a breakdown of how key indices closed:

CANADA

S&P/TSX Composite Index (Canada):
The Canadian index shed 143.08 points, ending at 24,573.62, down 0.58 percent, with 182.454 million shares traded.

UNITED KINGDOM

• FTSE 100 (UK): Closed at 8,258.64, down 47.90 points, a decrease of 0.58 percent.

EUROPE

• DAX Performance-Index (Germany): Finished at 19,377.62, losing 44.29 points or 0.23 percent.
• CAC 40 (France): Declined by 37.62 points, ending at 7,497.48, down 0.50 percent.
• ESTX 50 PR.EUR (Eurozone): Closed at 4,922.55, down 16.76 points or 0.34 percent.
• Euronext 100 Index: Decreased by 6.22 points, finishing at 1,477.20, down 0.42 percent.
• BEL 20 (Belgium): Bucked the trend, gaining 2.10 points to close at 4,281.87, an increase of 0.05 percent.

ASIA

• Hang Seng Index (Hong Kong): Rose by 261.20 points to close at 20,760.15, gaining 1.27 percent.
• STI Index (Singapore): Added 13.37 points, ending at 3,600.78, up 0.37 percent.
• S&P BSE SENSEX (India): Declined by 138.74 points, finishing at 80,081.98, down 0.17 percent.
• FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI: Fell slightly by 1.01 points to 1,641.53, a decrease of 0.06 percent.
• KOSPI Composite Index (South Korea): Gained 28.92 points, closing at 2,599.62, up 1.12 percent.
• TSEC Weighted Index (Taiwan): Declined by 200.67 points, closing at 23,334.76, down 0.85 percent.
• SSE Composite Index (China): Rose by 16.94 points to end at 3,302.80, up 0.52 percent.
• Nikkei 225 (Japan): Fell by 307.10 points, closing at 38,104.86, down 0.80 percent.

OCEANIA

• S&P/ASX 200 (Australia): Closed at 8,216.00, up 10.30 points, increasing by 0.13 percent.
• All Ordinaries (Australia): Gained 7.30 points, closing at 8,476.30, rising 0.09 percent.
• S&P/NZX 50 Index Gross (New Zealand): Dropped 25.55 points to 12,787.60, down 0.20 percent.

MIDDLE EAST

• TA-125 (Israel): Finished at 2,152.97, losing 19.32 points or 0.89 percent.
• EGX 30 Price Return Index (Egypt): Marginally down by 13.30 points, closing at 30,414.00, a decrease of 0.04 percent.

AFRICA

• Top 40 USD Net TRI Index (South Africa): Dropped 105.12 points to 4,730.87, down 2.17 percent.

Currency and Dollar Indexes:

• US Dollar Index: Gained 0.33 points, ending at 104.41, up 0.32 percent.
• British Pound Currency Index: Declined by 0.52 points to 129.32, down 0.40 percent.
• Euro Currency Index: Closed at 107.86, falling by 0.12 points or 0.11 percent.
• Japanese Yen Currency Index: Dropped 0.68 points to 65.53, down 1.02 percent.
• Australian Dollar Currency Index: Declined by 0.49 points, finishing at 66.32, a drop of 0.73 percent.

Other Global Indices:

• . Currency indices showed mixed results, with the US Dollar Index advancing modestly.

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