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Major indices decline across global stock markets

20 October 2026 08:59 (UTC +04:00)

Global stock markets showed predominantly negative dynamics on October 19, APA-Economics reports.

In the United States, the Dow Jones index fell by 36.38 points, or 0.07%, to 51,966.03 points. The S&P 500 index rose by 31.29 points, or 0.41%, to 7,690.73 points, while the Nasdaq Composite index increased by 290.86 points, or 1.11%, to 26,430.89 points.

The NYSE Composite index declined by 0.50% to 23,967.07 points, while Canada's S&P/TSX Composite index fell by 0.69% to 35,928.63 points.

All major indices declined in European stock markets. The Euro Stoxx 50 index dropped by 59.42 points, or 0.96%, to 6,144.81 points, the UK's FTSE 100 index fell by 1.08% to 10,764.69 points, while Germany's DAX index decreased by 1.18% to 25,319.77 points.

France's CAC 40 index declined by 1.11% to 7,868.05 points, while Spain's IBEX 35 index fell by 1.49% to 19,039.30 points.

All major indices in the Asia-Pacific region also showed negative dynamics. Japan's Nikkei 225 index dropped by 631.44 points, or 0.97%, to 64,285.26 points, while the TOPIX index declined by 49.22 points, or 1.21%, to 4,018.26 points.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell by 0.95% to 23,956.93 points, while China's CSI 300 index declined by 0.51% to 4,153.11 points. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index decreased by 0.31% to 8,818.50 points, while the broader MSCI AC Asia Pacific index fell by 0.07% to 264 points.

The main reasons behind the mixed market performance were concerns over financing in the artificial intelligence sector and rising political risks in Europe.

In the United States, technology and semiconductor stocks began to recover following sharp sell-offs the previous week. The main semiconductor sector index rose by 1.6% after eight consecutive days of declines. A 5% increase in Amazon shares and a 3.8% rise in Tesla shares supported the Nasdaq Composite index. Nevertheless, heavy borrowing and investment expenditures for artificial intelligence infrastructure remained in investors' focus.

In Europe, mass protests in France and concerns over the country's budget deficit and public debt intensified selling pressure. Rising yields on French bonds also negatively affected other European markets.

In Asia, the substantial financing needs of artificial intelligence projects, high interest rates, and uncertainty surrounding companies' upcoming financial reports increased investor caution. Although falling oil prices provided some support to the markets, they failed to prevent declines in the region's major indices.