United News of Bangladesh

Global markets were mixed Monday, while oil prices surged after US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers near the Strait of Hormuz, reviving concerns over renewed conflict in the Middle East. In early European trading, Germany's DAX fell 0.9% to 26,339.04, while France's CAC 40 slipped 0.1% to 8,390.43. British markets were closed for a bank holiday. US futures for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average each fell 0.2%. Brent crude jumped 3.8% to $91.40 a barrel, while US benchmark crude gained 3.8% to $86.58. Asian markets were mixed after Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh's comments reinforced expectations that the central bank could raise interest rates to control inflation. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 slipped 0.1%, while South Korea's Kospi gained 0.5%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.1%, while Shanghai's Composite Index rose 0.9%. An official survey showed China's factory activity remained in contraction for a second straight month in August, despite slight improvements in production and new export orders. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.2%, while Taiwan's Taiex and India's Sensex each declined 0.4%. On Friday, Wall Street ended lower, with the S&P 500 down 0.2%, the Dow slightly lower and the Nasdaq falling 0.5%. The two-year US Treasury yield rose to 4.35% from 4.22% before Warsh's Jackson Hole speech. The dollar fell against the yen, while the euro gained against the US currency.

Shares were mixed in Europe and Asia on Friday, with Britain's FTSE 100 slightly lower as the midnight departure of the UK from the European Union loomed.

World share prices rebounded Wednesday as confidence rose in China's handling of an outbreak of a new virus that has infected 440 people, with nine confirmed deaths.

 World shares advanced Friday despite fresh concerns over a report that cast doubt on the prospects for a long-term U.S-China trade deal.