- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
- Gauff fights back to reach China Open final
- Recovering Stokes ruled out of first Pakistan Test
- Hezbollah battles troops on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
- Alcaraz, Sinner breeze into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Bagnaia wins Japan MotoGP sprint to cut Martin's lead
- Alcaraz breezes into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Gaza cultural heritage brought to light in Geneva
- 'Bullet for democracy': Trump returns to site of rally shooting
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- South Korean cult-horror series 'Hellbound' returns at BIFF
- Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers
- Honduras arrests environmentalist's alleged murderer
- Padres pitcher Musgrove needs elbow surgery
- Supreme Court lets stand rules to curb mercury, methane emissions
- Boston beat Denver in NBA exhibition season opener, but Jokic says omens are good
- Chagos diaspora angry at lack of input on islands' fate
- Biden says 'not confident' of peaceful US election
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- Lukaku stars as Napoli beat Como to hold Serie A top spot
- Ohtani set for MLB playoff debut as Dodgers face Padres
- Pogba's drug ban cut to 18 months from four years
- Devine leads New Zealand to big win over India in Women's T20 World Cup
- Bosnia floods kill 16 people
- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Prosecutors seek dismissal of rape charges against French rugby players
- Meta AI turns pictures into videos with sound
- Bolivia's Morales says claims he raped a minor are a 'lie'
- MLB Reds hire two-time champion Francona as manager
- Daniel Maldini receives first Italy call-up for Nations League
Oil prices up as traders weigh demand and supply issues
Oil began inching upward on Thursday after a day of losses over demand concerns linked to the Covid-19 lockdown in China.
Ongoing restrictions in the country, including in the economic hub of Shanghai where tens of millions are confined to their homes, have hit transport networks but traders are balancing the demand shock alongside threats to supply caused by the war in Ukraine with European Union countries mulling bans on Russian crude.
The United States has said it will release a substantial portion of its oil reserves to cushion the shortfall.
"Oil is still trading mixed after Tuesday's sharp pullback but is opening in Asia near the midpoint of yesterday's trading range – the US inventory draws lean helpful. Still, there is not much incremental news overnight, with a trajectory from here really hinging on whether other nations join the UK/US in banning Russian oil imports," Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said.
Markets in Asia were largely up, with Japan's Nikkei 225 gaining over a percent in early trade, with brokers staying optimistic over a falling yen for a third straight day.
But Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index continued its downward spiral and Shanghai also opened lower as news from China around Covid-19 restrictions, interest rate cuts, and curbs on tech companies remained a cause of concern.
Seoul, Jakarta, Taipei, and Sydney were all marginally higher.
European markets pushed ahead yesterday aided by news of a return to growth in eurozone industrial output in February.
But mixed results on Wall Street, where losses linked to dwindling subscriptions at streaming behemoth Netflix, also weighed on Asian trade with tech stocks down in Hong Kong.
Players will likely remain cautious ahead of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's remarks before the US central bank meets next, with concerns high about rate hikes.
"Fed Chair Powell and ECB President Lagarde speak at an IMF Panel, while BoE Governor Bailey speaks at a separate event later Thursday," Innes said.
"These central bankers, notably Powell, are unlikely to push back against market pricing, suggesting that the recent global bond market rally is a respite on the way to higher yields."
- Key figures around 0300 GMT -
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.21 percent at 27,547.24
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.93 percent at 3,121.67
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.14 percent at 20,705.48
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0828 from $1.0850
Dollar/yen: UP at 128.47 yen from 127.84 yen
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3049 from $1.3065
Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.96 pence from 83.03 pence
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.22 at $103.43 per barrel
Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.28 percent at $108.17 per barrel
New York - Dow: UP 0.7 percent at 35,160.79 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.4 percent at 7,629.22 (close)
burs-ssy/je
H.Portela--PC