India, July 9 -- Global investors stayed on guard amid the resurfacing geopolitical tension in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran. Although the initial fears about Middle Eastern events caused widespread selling in Wall Street, technology shares supported other sectors by dampening their losses. Semiconductor shares gained further momentum and pushed the Nasdaq Composite index higher despite weakness in the Dow Jones Industrial Average due to industrial and consumer goods firms.

The financial markets kept track of the latest Federal Reserve meeting notes for any hints of the direction that interest rates may take going forward. Even as the prices of crude oil rose sharply due to worries of shortages, the calming effect towards the...