World shares were mixed on Wednesday as the rally of the past two days faded and oil prices resumed climbing with no end to the war with Iran in sight.
Oil prices have remained sharply below their peaks near $120 a barrel hit on Monday. Such spikes have been rocking financial markets worldwide because of worries that the war could block the global flow of oil and natural gas for a long time.
Early Wednesday, the price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, had jumped 2.6% to $90.11. US benchmark crude oil was up 3.2% at $86.08 per barrel.
The future for the S&P 500 was flat and that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 0.1% lower.
In Germany, the DAX slipped 1.6% to 23,600.11, while the CAC 40 in Paris fell 1% to 7,980.45. Britain’s FTSE 100 also shed 1%, to 10,307.63.
Markets were mixed in Asia, where Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 gained 1.4% to 55,025.37.
South Korea’s Kospi picked up 1.4% to 5,609.95 after gaining more than 3% earlier in the day.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng fell back, slipping 0.2% to 25,898.76, while the Shanghai Composite index climbed 0.3% to 4,133.43.
