Sawt Falasteen - Oil climbs, stocks drop on fresh US-Iran strikes

The crude price jumps of around 2.5 percent partly erased Wednesday's sharp declines on hopes of an imminent deal to stop the conflict that has all but halted shipping through the crucial Strait of Hormuz for months.

"A fresh exchange of strikes between the two countries is testing the fragile ceasefire and forcing a reassessment of the chances of a near-term agreement which can reopen the Strait of Hormuz and dial down the pressure the crisis is putting on the global economy," noted AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.

The United States and Iran traded strikes Thursday in their most serious clash since an April ceasefire began.

The latest exchange also drew in US ally Kuwait, which said it was responding to incoming fire, and came as violence on the war's Lebanese front escalated sharply after Israel declared much of the country's south a combat zone.

Stock markets across Asia saw losses on Thursday, with main benchmarks in Hong Kong, Taipei and Sydney closing down more than one percent.

Tokyo and Seoul saw more moderate declines, while Shanghai was the sole major exchange to buck the trend, finishing the day up 0.1 percent.

In Europe midday deals, London fell more than one percent while Paris and Frankfurt each shed 0.5 percent.

The drops came after strong sessions for stock markets Wednesday, as investors, bullish on artificial intelligence, looked past the conflicting headlines on Iran.

In Asia, South Korean chipmaker SK hynix hit a $1 trillion market capitalisation, placing it alongside regional tech heavyweights Samsung Electronics and TSMC, as well as US chipmaker Micron.

The tech surge has coincided with a persistent spike in energy prices, which has threatened several major economies that rely on oil shipments from the Middle East.

Economists warn that central banks may have to raise interest rates should inflation worsen as a result of the war, increasing borrowing costs and likely weighing on economic growth.

- Key figures at around 1045 GMT -

Brent North Sea Crude: UP 2.6 percent at $96.76 a barrel

West Texas Intermediate: UP 2.5 percent at $90.89 a barrel

London - FTSE 100: DOWN 1.1 percent at 10,391.62 points

Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.5 percent at 8,169.55

Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.5 percent at 25,047.96

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.3 percent at 25,006.16 points (close)

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.5 percent at 64,693.12 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.1 percent at 4,098.64 (close)

New York - DOW: UP 0.4 percent at 50,644.28 (close)

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1607 from $1.1629 on Wednesday

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3394 from $1.3434

Dollar/yen: DOWN at 159.41 from 159.53 yen

Euro/pound: UP at 86.64 from 86.59 pence

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J.AbuShaban--SF-PST