Australian stocks opened lower Thursday, following record highs in U.S. markets overnight.
By 11:55 am AEDT (12:55 am GMT) the ASX 200 dropped 0.4%, the Kospi 200 declined 0.9%, and Japan's Nikkei fell 0.7%.
In the U.S., stocks closed significantly higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 3.6% to 43,729.93, the S&P 500 gained 2.5% to 5,929.04, and the Nasdaq surged 3.0% to 18,983.47.
Among the S&P 500 leaders, Discover Financial Services soared 20.3%, Synchrony Financial jumped 18.9%, and Trimble Inc advanced 17.8%.
Conversely, Super Micro Computer Inc fell 18.1%, Enphase Energy Inc declined 16.8%, and International Flavors & Fragrances Inc dropped 11.6%.
In commodities, Brent crude oil rose 0.5% to US$75.19 per barrel. Gold, however, decreased by 3.1% to $2,659.72 per ounce.
In China, the Shanghai Composite Index dipped 0.1% to 3,383.81, while the CSI 300 lost 20.3 points or 0.5% to 4,024.3.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index saw a more substantial decline, down 2.2% to 20,538.4.
India’s BSE SENSEX rose 1.1%, closing at 80,378.1.
In Europe, markets struggled, with the FTSE 100 in the U.K. edging down 0.1% to 8,166.7. Germany’s DAX dropped 1.1% to 19,039.3, and France's CAC 40 fell 0.5% to 7,369.6.