Simmering trade and political tensions weigh on world shares
Most shares are subdued, awaiting news on trade tariffs; the dollar scales an 11-month peak; Italian markets are knocked by the appointment of a eurosceptic
London — Simmering trade and political tensions weighed on European and world shares on Thursday, while oil prices were under pressure ahead of an oil cartel Opec meeting that could boost the global supply of crude. Early gains on Europe’s main bourses were wiped out after about an hour and Wall Street futures also turned lower, as the jitters that have dominated markets for months began to return. Europe’s car shares skidded to a nine-month low as Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler warned that global trade tensions were slowing its sales; while Italian stocks and bonds fell on reports that a eurosceptic had been given a key finance role. Asia was mixed too, with Japan’s Nikkei adding 0.6% and Australia’s main index enjoying another strong day. China finished more than 1% lower again, while MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan ended down 0.6% having been as much as 0.5% higher at one point. The dollar powered to an 11-month high in the currency market, maintaining pre...
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