Wall Street stocks were mixed in early trade today as markets digested a flat US inflation report and an uptick in oil prices amid the Middle East war.
US consumer inflation rose 2.4% year-on-year in February, the same increase as reported a month prior in data that met expectations.
Meanwhile, Brent oil futures rose back above $90 a barrel as Germany and Japan said they would tap into their oil reserves due to the disruption in supply.
About 10 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones was down 0.2% at 47,626, while the broad-based S&P 500 added 0.2% to trade at 6,795 and the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite index advanced 0.5% to stand at 22,805.
Most European shares continued to see losses this afternoon as investors weighed the economic fallout from the 12-day Middle East war and digested a slate of corporate updates. London's FTSE index had dropped 86 points (0.8%) to stand at 10,326 by 2.40pm, while the Paris CAC was down 46 points (0.6%) to trade at 8,011 and the Frankfurt DAX lost 368 points (1.5%) to reach 23,602.
But Dublin's ISEQ index managed to edge 11 points (0.09%) to hit 12,774 this afternoon. Shares in Greencoat Renewables gained 2.5% to stand at 76 cent, while Origin Enterprises gained 2.3% to trade at €4.25. Shares in AIB rose 1.4% to reach €9.45 and FBD Holdings added 1.2% to hit €16.75.
Earlier in Asian trade, Tokyo's Nikkei index gained 777 points ((1.4%) to close at 55,025, extending its rally for a second session in a row as investors bought beaten-down stocks, and worries about oil supplies stemming from the Middle East conflict eased. But Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gave up earlier gains to close 61 points (0.2%) lower at 25,898.
