World shares mixed, oil prices climb after CNN report that Israel may plan to attack Iran

Washington, May 21 (AP) World shares were mixed Wednesday while oil prices jumped more than 1 per cent after a report by CNN said Israel may be planning an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.

A CNN report cited unnamed intelligence officials saying Israel may be preparing for an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. Oil prices tend to rise with conflicts that might disrupt oil supplies, and they jumped early Wednesday but lost some of those gains by midday.

US benchmark crude oil gained 93 cents to USD 62.96 per barrel while Brent crude, the international standard, rose 90 cents to USD 66.27 per barrel.

In talks on the nuclear issue, Iranian officials have warned they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran's programme if a deal isn't reached.

In early European trading, Germany's DAX fell 0.3 per cent to 23,967.81, while the CAC 40 in Paris declined 0.7 per cent to 7,891.05. Britain's FTSE 100 was little changed, at 8,780.46.

The futures for the S and P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 0.6 per cent.

In Asia, Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 0.6 per cent to 37,298.98.

Gains have been limited by the continued worries over higher tariffs Trump has imposed on many US trading partners since taking office. Earlier this week, Japanese officials said they were insisting all of his higher tariffs on imports from Japan be removed as part of talks with Washington.

Japan's exports have slowed due to the tariffs, the government reported Wednesday. Exports to the US, Japan's largest single trading partner, fell almost 2 per cent year-on-year in April and the annual rate of growth in its global exports slowed to 2 per cent from 4 per cent in March, preliminary customs data showed.

In a step that further weakened Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's faltering administration, the agriculture minister, Taku Eto, resigned after an outcry over comments he made about not having to buy rice, but getting it for free, at a time when shortfalls in supply have pushed prices of the staple grain sharply higher.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng picked up 0.6 per cent to 23,827.78, while the Shanghai Composite index edged 0.2 per cent higher to 3,387.57.

Australia's S and P/ASX 200 surged 0.5 per cent to 8,386.00, while the Kospi in South Korea climbed 0.9 per cent, to 2,625.58.

Taiwan's Taiex advanced 1.3 per cent and India's Sensex gained 0.5 per cent.

On Tuesday, the S and P 500 lost 0.4 per cent for its first drop in seven days. The Dow fell 0.3 per cent and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.4 per cent.

Treasury yields and the value of the US dollar held relatively stable following a brief jolt Monday morning after Moody's Ratings said the US government no longer deserves a top-tier credit rating because of worries about its spiralling debt.

US government debt could be set to get even bigger with Washington debating more cuts to taxes.

Stocks of companies in the travel industry led the way lower on doubts about how much US households will be able to spend on summer vacations. Airbnb dropped 3.3 per cent, Norwegian Cruise Line fell 3.9 per cent and United Airlines lost 2.9 per cent.

Home Depot slipped 0.6 per cent after reporting a profit for the start of the year that came up just short of analysts' expectations, though its revenue topped forecasts.

The home-improvement retailer also said it's sticking with its forecasts for profit and sales growth over the full year.

Target and Home Depot rival Lowe's were due to report their latest results later Wednesday.

A growing number of companies have recently said tariffs and uncertainty about the economy are making it difficult to guess what the upcoming year will bring.

Trump has delayed or rolled many of the stiff tariffs he has imposed as he tries to compel companies to move manufacturing to the United States. Investors are hopeful that Trump will eventually lower his tariffs after reaching trade deals with other countries, but that's not a certainty.

In currency dealings, the US dollar fell to 144.10 Japanese yen from 144.51 yen. The euro rose to USD 1.1327 from USD 1.1284. (AP) PY PY

Source: PTI