World shares were mixed Friday even after Wall Street set another record, as investors watched for signs of more U.S.-Iran talks and an extension of the ceasefire of the Iran war that is expiring next week.
Oil prices fell Friday, while U.S. futures edged up.
President Trump suggested Thursday that he’s open to extending the two-week ceasefire in the Iran war, and Iran’s U.N. envoy said Tehran remained “cautiously optimistic” over negotiations with the U.S.
As optimism over an extended ceasefire grew, oil prices fell early Friday after climbing a day earlier. Brent crude, the international standard, was 3.2% lower at $96.25 per barrel. It had surged roughly 40% since the beginning of the Iran war in late February. Benchmark U.S. crude was down 3.6% to $87.86 a barrel.
Global energy shocks are growing over impacts of the Iran war, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining largely closed while the U.S. imposed a sea blockade on Iranian ports. The head of the International Energy Agency told The Associated Press on Thursday that Europe has “maybe six weeks or so” of jet fuel supplies remaining and warned of flight cancellations “soon.”
In stocks, U.S. futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5%, while futures for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both ticked up 0.3% Friday.
Early European trading saw Britain’s FTSE 100 index down 0.2% to 10,567.17. France’s CAC 40 was 0.4% higher at 8,293.21, while Germany’s DAX gained 0.6% to 24,308.82.
Asian stocks were mostly lower. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.8% to 58,475.90 after reaching an all-time high on Thursday. South Korea’s Kospi was 0.6% lower at 6,191.92. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 0.9% to 26,160.33. The Shanghai Composite index edged down 0.1% to 4,051.43.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.1%. Taiwan’s Taiex traded 0.9% lower, while India’s Sensex gained 0.7%.
