US markets continued their downward trajectory for the sixth day in a row on April 19, as tensions escalated in the Middle East due to Israel’s retaliatory actions against attacks from Iran. The S&P 500 fell 0.32 percent to 4,995.02, while the Nasdaq Composite tumbled 1.11 percent to 15,428.61, dragged down by Netflix’s 8.43 percent decline after the company announced it would cease disclosing subscriber additions and average revenue per member rating from 2025 onwards. However, the Dow Jones Industrial Average traded positive, up 0.42 percent at 37,932.98.
In contrast, the GIFT Nifty traded higher, up 0.32 percent at 22,181.50, as the Nifty and Sensex edged higher during the day’s trading session. European markets exhibited a mixed performance, with the FTSE up 0.23 percent at 7,894.64, while the DAX traded 0.55 percent lower at 17,793.17, and the CAC remained flat-to-negative at 8,023.02.
Earlier in the day, Asian markets faced headwinds due to the Middle East tensions and weak performances of chip-making stocks. The Nikkei plunged 2.66 percent to 37,068.35, and the Hang Seng declined by 1 percent to 16,224.14.
The Indian indices, however, broke their four-day losing streak and ended higher, with banks and metals displaying strong performances. The Nifty ended 0.69 percent higher at 22,147.00, and the Sensex was up 0.83 percent at 73,088.33. Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) net sold Rs 52.20 crore, while foreign institutional investors (FIIs/FPIs) net purchased Rs 129.39 crore.
Crude prices also rebounded, with Brent up 0.20 percent at $87.28 per barrel, and Crude edging 0.41 percent higher to $83.07 per barrel, breaking their losing streak.