NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks fell sharply Thursday as profit-takers moved in to take the cream off the substantial gains that have followed the election of Donald Trump to the White House. Investors also took note of Walmart's outlook for fiscal 2026 which came in much lower than expected.

"If Walmart is giving bad guidance, you should be paying attention to it," Tom Fitzpatrick, managing director at R.J. O'Brien and Associates told CNBC Thursday. "Perhaps this is suggesting that the general consumer is tapped out."

Global Forex Markets Update: U.S. Dives Against All Major Currencies

Thursday saw a notable negative shift in the value of the U.S. dollar on the global foreign exchange markets as traders reacted to economic developments and geopolitical cues. The U.S. Dollar Index fell by 0.79 points to 106.38, a decline of 0.74 percent.

The Euro continued its upward trend against the U.S. dollar, trading at 1.0501 after gaining 0.76 percent.

The  dollar also dived against the Japanese yen, with the USDJPY pair settling at 149.66 after a decline of 1.19 percent.

The greenback slid against the Canadian dollar, with the USDCAD rate settling at 1.4167 following a drop of 0.44 percent.

Meanwhile, the British pound also strengthened, with GBPUSD reaching 1.2670, up 0.67 percent.

The dollar additionally gained ground against the Swiss franc, with the USDCHF dipping to 0.8977 after a decrease of 0.73 percent.

In the Oceania region, the Australian dollar made gains . The AUDUSD pair rose to 0.6402, increasing by 0.94 percent, while the New Zealand dollar also advanced, with the NZDUSD climbing to 0.5763, up 1.06 percent.

Global Markets End Thursday with Mixed Results

Global indices closed Thursday amid cautious trading and mixed results across regions, reflecting investors' wary sentiment ahead of unfolding economic uncertainties.

Canada

Canadian markets were not immune to the downturn, as the S&P/TSX Composite Index also retreated. It closed at 25,514.08 after falling by 112.08 points, a 0.44 percent drop on a volume of 266.863 million shares.

UK and Europe in Focus
The FTSE 100 in London fell by 49.56 points to finish at 8,662.97, a decline of 0.57 percent.

Germany's DAX P ended at 22,314.65, down 118.98 points or 0.53 percent, while France's CAC 40 bucked the trend with a modest gain of 12.04 points to close at 8,122.58, up 0.15 percent.

The EURO STOXX 50 I, Euronext 100, and BEL 20 recorded minor declines of 0.00 percent, 0.23 percent, and 0.02 percent respectively.

Asian Markets and Beyond
In Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index slipped by 367.26 points to 22,576.98, marking a 1.60 percent drop. Japan's Nikkei 225 also retreated by 486.57 points, down 1.24 percent, while China's SSE Composite Index edged lower by 0.76 points (0.02 percent) on heavy volume of 3.191 billion.

South Korea's KOSPI Composite Index lost 17.46 points (0.65 percent), and Taiwan's TWSE Capitalization Weighted Stock Index declined 116.62 points (0.49 percent).

In India, the S&P BSE Sensex fell by 203.22 points, a 0.27 percent decline, while Malaysia's FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI dropped 3.21 points (0.20 percent).

Oceania
Down under, both the Australia S&P/ASX 200 and All Ordinaries closed in the red, dropping 96.40 points (1.15 percent) and 97.40 points (1.12 percent) respectively.

New Zealand's S&P/NZX 50 INDEX GROSS closed at 12,880.36, down 153.00 points (1.17 percent).

Middle East and Africa
In Egypt, the EGX 30 Price Return Index inched higher by 39.40 points to 30,914.70, up 0.13 percent, bolstered by a volume of 245.539 million.

Israel's TA-125 saw a decrease of 14.23 points, or 0.55 percent, and Singapore's STI Index dipped by 6.53 points (0.17 percent).

In South Africa' theTop 40 USD Net TRI Index outperformed regional peers, rising 82.89 points to finish at 4,761.94, an increase of 1.77 percent.

Overall, Thursday's closing figures underscored a day of mixed performance as investors navigated a complex global landscape, setting the stage for continued volatility in the days ahead.