NEW YORK, New York - U.S. and world stock markets ended Friday's trading session with starkly divergent results, as U.S. technology shares powered to solid gains while European and most Asian benchmarks closed in negative territory.

In New York, the NASDAQ Composite led the charge, surging 440.88 points, or 1.71 percent, to close at 26,247.08.

The Standard and Poor's 500 added 61.83 points, or 0.84 percent, finishing the day at 7,398.94 after trading between a low of 5,644.15 and a high of 7,401.50. Volume on the S&P 500 reached 3.219 billion shares.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average managed a marginal gain, rising just 12.19 points, or a scant 0.02 percent, to end at 49,609.16. The index moved within a daily range of 49,486.96 to 49,830.70.

Elsewhere in North America, Canada's S&P/TSX Composite index rose 221.14 points, or 0.65 percent, to 34,077.76 on a volume of 289.755 million.

European markets painted a far weaker picture. Germany's DAX P tumbled 324.98 points, or 1.32 percent, to close at 24,338.63. France's CAC 40 fell 89.51 points, or 1.09 percent, ending at 8,112.57. The EURO STOXX 50 I dropped 61.12 points, or 1.02 percent, to 5,911.53.

Elsewhere in Europe, the Euronext 100 Index lost 8.34 points, or 0.46 percent, closing at 1,816.67, while Belgium's BEL 20 declined 6.43 points, or 0.12 percent, to 5,463.32.

London's FTSE 100 slipped 43.88 points, or 0.43 percent, to 10,233.07.

Asia-Pacific markets were predominantly lower. Hong Kong's HANG SENG INDEX fell 232.57 points, or 0.87 percent, to 26,393.71.

Australia saw sharp declines: the S&P/ASX 200 dropped 133.70 points, or 1.51 percent, to 8,744.40, and the ALL ORDINARIES lost 126.50 points, or 1.39 percent, finishing at 8,980.50.

India's S&P BSE SENSEX closed at 77,328.19, down 516.34 points, or 0.66 percent. The IDX COMPOSITE in Indonesia fell sharply, losing 204.92 points, or 2.86 percent, to 6,969.40.

Malaysia's FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI slipped 10.79 points, or 0.61 percent, to 1,748.06, and New Zealand's S&P/NZX 50 INDEX GROSS declined 95.48 points, or 0.72 percent, to 13,175.13.

The KOSPI Composite Index in South Korea bucked the regional trend, rising 7.95 points, or 0.11 percent, to close at 7,498.00, with volume of 523,091. Taiwan's TWSE Capitalization Weighted Stock Index fell 329.84 points, or 0.79 percent, to 41,603.94.

China's SSE Composite Index closed nearly unchanged at 4,179.95, down a symbolic 0.14 points, or 0.00 percent, on volume of 982.433 million. Finally, Japan's Nikkei 225 edged lower by 120.19 points, or 0.19 percent, ending the session at 62,713.65.

In other regional trading, Israel's TA-125 added 33.16 points, or 0.75 percent, while South Africa's Top 40 USD Net TRI Index dropped 129.32 points, or 1.76 percent, to 7,209.65.

Middle East markets, other than in Israel, were closed Friday and will reopen on Sunday.

Traders noted that diverging interest rate expectations and sector rotation continue to drive sharp differences between regional markets, with technology-heavy indexes outperforming while industrial and commodity-linked benchmarks remain under pressure.

Forex Market Update: Euro and Sterling Lead Gains as U.S. Dollar Softens Against Major Peers

The foreign exchange market saw a mix of momentum on Friday, with the euro and British pound posting solid gains against a broadly weaker U.S. dollar, while the Japanese yen and Swiss franc held their ground amid shifting risk sentiment.

According to the latest quotes, the EUR/USD pair traded at 1.1781, rising 0.005585 or 0.48 percent on the session. The pair opened at 1.1726, hit a high of 1.1787, and dipped to a low of 1.1723, reflecting steady demand for the common currency.

The GBP/USD pair advanced even more sharply, climbing 0.53 percent to 1.3627. The pound moved within a range of 1.3547 to 1.3630, supported by expectations of further Bank of England policy tightening.

In contrast, the USD/JPY pair eased 0.12 percent to 156.73, down from an open of 156.91. The dollar traded between a high of 156.99 and a low of 156.43, as the yen benefited from safe-haven flows.

The USD/CHF pair declined 0.51 percent to 0.7764, with the Swiss franc strengthening as the dollar faced selling pressure. The pair opened at 0.7803 and reached a session low of 0.7761.

Commodity-linked currencies showed resilience. The AUD/USD rose 0.52 percent to 0.7246, while the NZD/USD gained 0.43 percent to 0.5962. Both pairs traded near their daily highs, supported by firmer commodity prices and a softer dollar.

The USD/CAD bucked the trend slightly, edging up 0.11 percent to 1.3681, as oil price movements provided some support to the Canadian dollar but not enough to fully offset broader dollar dynamics.

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

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