Global benchmarks are mixed in cautious trading amid uncertainty about US-Iran ceasefire talks

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TOKYO (AP) — Global shares were mixed successful cautious trading Wednesday, arsenic investors watched for adjacent steps successful the U.S.-Iran struggle aft President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire that was acceptable to expire.

France's CAC 40 slipped 0.2% successful aboriginal trading to 8,221.18, portion the German DAX inched down little than 0.1% to 24,256.40. Britain's FTSE 100 was virtually unchanged astatine 10,497.60. U.S. futures were acceptable to drift higher with Dow futures up 0.4% astatine 49,509.00. S&P 500 futures roseate 0.4% to 7,131.00.

Inflation successful the U.K. climbed successful March aft a crisp leap successful prices astatine the pump successful the aftermath of the disruption to vigor supplies caused by the Iran war, authoritative figures showed Wednesday.

In Asian trading, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 roseate 0.4% to decorativeness astatine 59,585.86.

The authorities reported a commercialized shortage of 1.7 trillion yen ($10.7 billion) successful the fiscal twelvemonth that ended successful March, the 5th consecutive fiscal twelvemonth of deficits. However, exports jumped astir 11.7% successful March and imports roseate astir 10.9% successful a motion that manufacturers whitethorn beryllium bouncing backmost from the shocks of higher tariffs Trump imposed aft returning to bureau past year.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined 1.2% to 8,843.60. South Korea's Kospi added 0.5% to 6,417.93.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng mislaid 1.2% to 26,163.24, portion the Shanghai Composite gained 0.5% to 4,106.26.

Oil prices person been wavering. In Asian trading Wednesday, benchmark U.S. crude fell astatine archetypal but aboriginal roseate 50 cents to $90.17 a barrel. Brent crude, the planetary standard, gained 81 cents to $99.29.

The moves were milder than the vicious swings that rocked Wall Street earlier successful the war, erstwhile the terms for a tube of Brent crude concisely topped $119 and the S&P 500 dropped astir 10% beneath its anterior all-time high.

Much of the hostility successful fiscal markets has focused connected what volition hap to the Strait of Hormuz, a constrictive waterway disconnected Iran’s seashore that lipid tankers usage to exit the Persian Gulf. Japan, for instance, imports conscionable astir each its oil, and overmuch of it antecedently came done the strait. The authorities has released its lipid reserves and is moving connected alternate routes.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance called disconnected a travel to Pakistan, wherever helium was expected to pb U.S. negotiators successful talks with Iran to widen the ceasefire.

Iran had not yet responded to Trump’s announcement of the ceasefire extension, and some countries person warned they were prepared to resume warring if a woody isn’t reached.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar edged down to 159.32 Japanese yen from 159.38 yen. The euro outgo $1.1748, up from $1.1744.

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Yuri Kageyama is connected Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

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