Asia stocks surge, Europe opens lower after oil prices rise

Asian markets have surged while Europe opened lower after oil prices recovered some of a decline the day before that had eased inflation fears

BEIJING -- Asian markets surged while Europe opened lower Thursday after oil prices recovered some of a decline the day before that had eased inflation fears.

Futures for Wall Street's benchmark S&P 500 index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 0.4% as Russian attacks on Ukraine intensified two weeks as fighting entered its third week.

Markets rallied Wednesday after oil plunged, but economists warned that was due to changes in futures contracts and other factors, not war developments. On Thursday, prices rebounded by nearly $6 per barrel in London and nearly $4 in New York.

Forecasters warned markets will stay volatile, as the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers were meeting in Turkey for negotiations.