NEW YORK, New York - World stock markets closed with a split personality on Friday, as technology-heavy indexes posted solid gains while blue-chip Dow industrials stumbled. Investors digested a fresh batch of economic signals, leading to a mixed finish for major indices across the globe.

In New York, the NASDAQ Composite led the charge, closing at 25,114.44, a jump of 222.13 points, or 0.89 percent. The tech sector's strength was mirrored by the broader S&P 500, which finished at 7,230.12, gaining 21.11 points, or 0.29 percent. However, the Dow Jones Industrial Average bucked the trend, falling 152.87 points to close at 49,499.27, a decline of 0.31 percent. Volatility, as measured by the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) , ticked up 0.10 points to 16.99, a rise of 0.59 percent.

Small-cap stocks saw a positive session, with the Russell 2000 Index adding 12.92 points to end at 2,812.82, up 0.46 percent. Broader New York exchanges were weaker, however. The NYSE Composite Index lost 103.50 points, closing at 23,041.15, a drop of 0.45 percent, while the NYSE American Composite Index suffered a steep decline of 248.03 points, or 2.70 percent, finishing at 8,924.23.

Across the Atlantic, European markets largely ended in the green. The DAX P in Germany was a standout performer, soaring 337.82 points to 24,292.38, an increase of 1.41 percent. France's CAC 40 rose 42.71 points to 8,114.84, up 0.53 percent. The broader EURO STOXX 50 I climbed 65.03 points to 5,881.51, a gain of 1.12 percent, while the Euronext 100 Index added 17.95 points to close at 1,799.82, rising 1.01 percent. Belgium's BEL 20 advanced 72.98 points to 5,352.67, a gain of 1.38 percent.

The Cboe UK 100 also finished higher, up 17.41 points to 1,034.43, a rise of 1.71 percent. However, London's FTSE 100 closed slightly lower, losing 14.89 points to end at 10,363.93, a modest decline of 0.14 percent.

In the Asia-Pacific, performance varied widely. Japan's Nikkei 225 added 228.20 points to close at 59,513.12, up 0.38 percent. Australia saw gains, with the S&P/ASX 200 rising 64.00 points to 8,729.80, a 0.74 percent increase, and the ALL ORDINARIES adding 67.10 points to 8,954.70, up 0.75 percent. New Zealand's S&P/NZX 50 INDEX GROSS climbed 135.89 points to 13,039.20, or 1.05 percent. Singapore's STI Index advanced 51.72 points to 4,912.69, a gain of 1.06 percent.

However, Hong Kong's HANG SENG INDEX fell sharply, dropping 335.31 points to 25,776.53, a loss of 1.28 percent. South Korea's KOSPI Composite Index declined 92.03 points to 6,598.87, down 1.38 percent. Taiwan's TWSE Capitalization Weighted Stock Index slid 376.87 points to 38,926.63, a decrease of 0.96 percent. India's S&P BSE SENSEX lost 582.86 points to close at 76,913.50, falling 0.75 percent. In Indonesia, the IDX COMPOSITE dropped 144.42 points to 6,956.80, a decline of 2.03 percent. China's SSE Composite Index eked out a small gain, rising 4.65 points to 4,112.16, up just 0.11 percent. The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI was unchanged at 1,722.02, flat at 0.00 percent.

In the Americas outside the U.S., Brazil's IBOVESPA jumped 2,567.22 points to 187,317.64, a strong gain of 1.39 percent. Mexico's IPC MEXICO rose 761.03 points to 67,858.09, up 1.13 percent. Chile's S&P IPSA added 50.31 points to close at 10,908.30, a 0.46 percent increase. Canada's S&P/TSX Composite index slipped 73.15 points to 33,891.18, down 0.22 percent. Argentina's MERVAL fell 5,983.75 points to 2,832,851.00, a loss of 0.21 percent.

In the Middle East and Africa, Israel's TA-125 rose 57.44 points to 4,371.32, up 1.33 percent, while South Africa's Top 40 USD Net TRI Index gained 86.31 points to 6,902.09, an increase of 1.27 percent.

On currency and global benchmark indices, the US Dollar Index rose 0.17 points to 98.22, an increase of 0.17 percent. The MSCI EUROPE edged up 9.14 points to 2,729.88, a gain of 0.34 percent. The British Pound Currency Index fell 0.32 points to 135.72, down 0.24 percent, and the Euro Currency Index slipped 0.14 points to 117.18, a decline of 0.12 percent. The Japanese Yen Currency Index dropped 0.18 points to 63.68, falling 0.28 percent, while the Australian Dollar Currency Index managed a fractional gain of 0.03 points to 72.03, up 0.04 percent.

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

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