Global Markets Tumble Amid Economic Worries

World stock markets were largely down on Thursday after a modest decline on Wall Street. The weakness was driven by disappointing economic data, including a slowdown in China's industrial profits growth.

Nvidia shares rose 7.2% in premarket trading after the chipmaker's earnings beat expectations, driven by strong demand for its advanced artificial intelligence chips.

The S&P 500 futures index gained 0.5%, but the Dow Jones Industrial Average was nearly unchanged. The Nasdaq composite dipped 0.1%.