World shares advance and oil slips back despite a barrage of attacks by Iran
BNN Bloomberg
Shares advanced Wednesday in Europe and Asia as oil prices fell back slightly despite a barrage of attacks by Iran on its Gulf neighbours.
U.S. futures rose 0.5% after a session of moderate gains on Wall Street ahead of the Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates later in the day. With higher oil prices feeding into other inflation, the Fed is widely expected to keep rates on hold.
Worries over global oil and gas supplies and rising prices are still clouding global markets, though Brent crude, the international standard, fell slightly to $103.14 per barrel, down from above $106 on Monday.
U.S. benchmark crude fell 1.6% to $94.67 per barrel.
Iran lashed out Wednesday with multiple attacks on its Gulf neighbors and Israel following the killing of one of its top leaders in an airstrike, using some of its latest missiles to evade air defenses and killing two near Tel Aviv.
But markets seem to have taken the latest escalations in stride.
Canada’s annual inflation rate slowed in February to 1.8 per cent, but many economists believe the new Statistics Canada data may be the dip before a spike driven by oil prices and the war in Iran.
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Canadian and U.S. stock markets gained ground on Wednesday as oil prices fell and tech stocks rose on both sides of the border.
Nvidia CEO CEO Jensen Huang has started his keynote at the chipmaker’s annual developer conference in San Jose, Calif., where he is set to detail its hardware and software plans.
Daily oil exports from the Middle Eastern Gulf, home to top exporter Saudi Arabia and other major producers, have dropped by at least 60 per cent in the week to March 15 compared to February due to disruptions and output cuts amid the U.S.-Iran war, according to shipping data and Reuters calculations.
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Member countries of the International Energy Agency could release more oil into the market later “as and if needed” after they have already agreed the largest-ever reserve release, Executive Director Fatih Birol said on Monday.
Oil prices are down, and stocks are up Monday, though such moves have been quick to reverse since the war in Iran began.
Statistics Canada says the annual rate of inflation dipped below two per cent in February as the end of last year’s federal “tax holiday” helped take some steam out of the yearly price comparisons.
Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds and state-backed companies are unlikely to scale back renewable energy investments in Africa despite disruptions from the Iran war, analysts say, given the strong long-term economic and strategic reasons driving such funding.
Crude oil stayed above US$100 a barrel on Monday and Gulf countries reported more attacks by Iran as the war entered its third week, while share prices were mixed.
Representatives from Beijing and Washington began their economic and trade talks in Paris on Sunday, Chinese official news agency Xinhua reported.