Major global stock indexes showed divergent trends on March 2, as the escalation of Middle East tensions and mixed corporate performance led to different market reactions in Europe and the United States. The U.S. stock market closed mixed, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 0.15% to 48,904.78 points, dragged down by declines in financial and consumer stocks. In contrast, the Nasdaq Composite Index rose 0.36% to 22,748.86 points, supported by gains in tech giants such as Nvidia and Microsoft, which benefited from continued optimism around AI investment.

European stock markets, however, fell sharply across the board, as rising energy costs and concerns about economic recovery weighed on investor sentiment. Germany’s DAX Index dropped 2.42% to 24,672.40 points, France’s CAC40 Index fell 2.17% to 8,394.32 points, and the UK’s FTSE 100 Index declined 1.2% to 10,780.11 points. The decline was mainly driven by the surge in European natural gas prices, which raised concerns about higher production costs for European companies and slower economic growth in the region.

Sector performance across global markets also diverged. The energy sector outperformed in both Europe and the United States, with Occidental Petroleum and Chevron rising more than 2% in the U.S., and major European energy companies such as Shell and BP also seeing significant gains. Tech stocks showed mixed performance, with AI-related stocks remaining strong, while traditional tech sectors such as semiconductors pulled back. Meanwhile, safe-haven flows pushed the U.S. dollar index higher and the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose to 4.37%, as investors reduced their exposure to risky assets amid market uncertainty.