NEW YORK, New York - Global stock markets delivered a deeply uneven performance on Thursday, with investors showing little of the usual pre‑Easter optimism. Instead, a somber mood prevailed after President Trump's address to the nation failed to clarify the reason for a massive U.S. troop buildup in the Middle East and detailed his intention to ramp up attacks on what he called "an already defeated Iran."

Market participants had hoped for de‑escalation ahead of the holiday weekend, but the president's combative language and the absence of any strategic explanation for the military deployment left traders unnerved. "There's no Easter spirit on the trading floor this year," said a senior portfolio manager in London. "The lack of clarity on the Middle East and the threat of renewed, intensified strikes on Iran are spooking everyone."

Against that tense backdrop, U.S. benchmarks ended narrowly mixed, while Asian bourses suffered steep losses. European indexes also closed lower, with only the FTSE 100 managing a gain. The only real gainer of the day was the benchmark Israeli stock exchange in Tel Aviv which notched up a 1.90 percent gain.

Below are the full closing quotes for all major indexes tracked on Thursday.

UNITED STATES

Standard and Poor's 500 (^GSPC)
Closed at 6,582.70, up 7.38 points or 0.11 percent. Trading volume: 2.653 billion.

Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI)
Closed at 46,504.85, down 60.89 points or 0.13 percent. Volume: 436.754 million.

NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC)
Closed at 21,879.18, up 38.23 points or 0.18 percent. Volume: 6.231 billion.

EUROPE

FTSE 100 (^FTSE) – United Kingdom
Closed at 10,436.29, up 71.50 points or 0.69 percent.

DAX P (^GDAXI) – Germany
Closed at 23,168.08, down 130.81 points or 0.56 percent.

CAC 40 (^FCHI) – France
Closed at 7,962.39, down 18.88 points or 0.24 percent.

EURO STOXX 50 I (^STOXX50E)
Closed at 5,692.86, down 39.85 points or 0.70 percent.

Euronext 100 Index (^N100)
Closed at 1,768.22, down 3.92 points or 0.22 percent.

BEL 20 (^BFX) – Belgium
Closed at 5,216.44, down 4.38 points or 0.08 percent.

ASIA-PACIFIC

HANG SENG INDEX (^HSI) – Hong Kong
Closed at 25,116.53, down 177.50 points or 0.70 percent.

STI Index (^STI) – Singapore
Closed at 4,947.50, down 28.33 points or 0.57 percent.

S&P/ASX 200 (^AXJO) – Australia
Closed at 8,579.50, down 92.30 points or 1.06 percent.

ALL ORDINARIES (^AORD) – Australia
Closed at 8,774.90, down 110.70 points or 1.25 percent.

S&P BSE SENSEX (^BSESN) – India
Closed at 73,319.55, up 185.23 points or 0.25 percent.

IDX COMPOSITE (^JKSE) – Indonesia
Closed at 7,026.78, down 157.66 points or 2.19 percent.

FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (^KLSE) – Malaysia
Closed at 1,698.30, down 10.60 points or 0.62 percent.

S&P/NZX 50 INDEX GROSS (^NZ50) – New Zealand
Closed at 12,902.15, up 76.28 points or 0.59 percent.

KOSPI Composite Index (^KS11) – South Korea
Closed at 5,234.05, down 244.65 points or 4.47 percent.

TWSE Capitalization Weighted Stock Index (^TWII) – Taiwan
Closed at 32,572.43, down 602.39 points or 1.82 percent.

Nikkei 225 (^N225) – Japan
Closed at 52,463.27, down 1,276.41 points or 2.38 percent.

OTHER MARKETS

S&P/TSX Composite index (^GSPTSE) – Canada
Closed at 33,108.22, up 150.27 points or 0.46 percent. Volume: 305.826 million.

TA-125 (^TA125.TA) – Israel
Closed at 4,016.79, up 75.01 points or 1.90 percent.

Top 40 USD Net TRI Index (^JN0U.JO) – South Africa
Closed at 6,897.65, down 76.26 points or 1.09 percent.

SSE Composite Index (000001.SS) – China (Shanghai)
Closed at 3,919.29, down 29.27 points or 0.74 percent. Volume: 2.882 billion.

Analysts noted that the lack of clarity from Washington regarding the troop deployment and Iran policy was a heavier weight on sentiment than any single economic data point. With Easter weekend approaching, many traders said they would be watching in the weeks ahead for any further White House statements that might explain – or escalate – the situation in the Middle East.

U.S. Dollar Strengthens Against All Major Currencies

The U.S. dollar flexed its muscles against major currencies on Thursday, as traders digested fresh economic signals and shifted into traditional safe havens, after Prewident Donald Trump in an addres to the nation failed to outline any exit plan, and spoke of escalating attacks against what is a heavily weakened and defenseless Iran. The Japanese yen and Swiss franc weakened notably, while the euro and commodity-linked currencies also faced selling pressure.

The euro fell 0.43 percent against the dollar, with EUR/USD changing hands at 1.1538. The shared currency struggled amid weaker-than-expected German industrial data, keeping the pair near two-week lows.

The dollar advanced firmly against the Japanese yen, with USD/JPY rising 0.54 percent to 159.63. The move came as U.S. Treasury yields held their ground, widening the interest rate differential in favor of the greenback.

Against the Canadian dollar, the greenback added 0.34 percent, lifting USD/CAD to 1.3920. Higher crude oil prices failed to fully support the loonie as broad risk-off sentiment weighed on commodity currencies.

The British pound dropped 0.54 percent versus the dollar, with GBP/USD sliding to 1.3226. Traders cited lingering uncertainty over the Bank of England's rate path and softer U.K. services data as key drivers.

The Swiss franc was a standout loser: USD/CHF rose 0.65 percent to 0.7987, its lowest level in almost two months. The move reflected declining demand for safe havens amid choppy equity markets.

In the antipodean space, the Australian dollar lost 0.28 percent against its U.S. counterpart, with AUD/USD at 0.6908. The New Zealand dollar fell more sharply, down 0.54 percent to NZD/USD 0.5719, as disappointing business confidence data out of Wellington added to the bearish tone.

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

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