World shares are mostly higher, tracking Wall Street's fresh records,
and oil prices fall
[May 27, 2026] By
ELAINE KURTENBACH
Shares were mostly higher in Europe and Asia on Wednesday and oil prices
fell after the U.S. stock market rose to more records.
In early European trading, Germany's DAX gained 0.7% to 25,359.59, while
the CAC 40 in Paris added 0.5% to 8,215.74. Britain's FTSE 100 slipped
0.1% to 10,484.65.
The future for the S&P 500 edged 0.1% higher while that for the Dow
Jones Industrial Average gained 0.2%.
The boom in artificial intelligence drove heavy buying of computer
chipmakers and other technology companies after the latest rally on Wall
Street, led by a 19.3% gain for Micron Technology. It was the strongest
force lifting the S&P 500 on Tuesday after analysts at UBS led by
Timothy Arcuri raised their 12-month price target for the stock to
$1,625 from $535. Micron closed at $895.88.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 also initially was lifted by gains for
tech-related shares given but closed nearly unchanged at 64,999.41. It
topped 66,000 earlier in the day.
Computer chip equipment maker Tokyo Electron's shares rose 2.1% and
testing equipment maker Advantest gained 4.1%.
Analysts are forecasting continued strength in demand for computer
memory and that has been pushing share prices in South Korea and Taiwan
to records this year.
The Kospi in Seoul gained 2.3% to 8,228.70, as Samsung Electronics'
shares gained 2.3%.
In Taiwan, the Taiex surged 1.7%.
Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.1% to 25,328.23 and the
Shanghai Composite index shed 1.3% to 4,093.73.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 picked up 0.7% to 8,717.70 and in India the
Sensex fell 0.1%.
On Tuesday, U.S. stocks rose to records as the S&P 500 climbed 0.6%
after trading resumed following Monday’s Memorial Day holiday. The
Nasdaq composite rallied 1.2% and the Dow industrials dipped 0.2%.
U.S. stocks were catching up with climbs for others around the world the
day before, when President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran on
ending the war were “proceeding nicely.”
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A dealer stands near the screens showing the Korea Composite Stock
Price Index (KOSPI), the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar
and South Korean won and the Korean Securities Dealers Automated
Quotations (KOSDAQ) at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South
Korea, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
 “It looks like geopolitical tensions
are no longer bothering investors as much as they did in previous
weeks. Iran’s explicit dissatisfaction regarding the progress in
talks over its nuclear program — or even US strikes — didn’t reverse
hopes that the war will end soon,” Ipek Ozkardeskaya of Swissquote
said in a commentary.
Markets have rallied on hopes for a swift end to the war, but the
situation remains unclear as fighting has continued in the region.
Oil prices have been at the center of financial markets' action
since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February.
The ensuing war has closed the Strait of Hormuz and kept oil tankers
pent up in the Persian Gulf instead of delivering crude to customers
worldwide. That in turn has driven up oil’s price and sent a wave of
painful inflation around the world.
U.S. households have been feeling discouraged about the economy
because of accelerating inflation, and a report on Tuesday said
consumer confidence edged downward in May, though the number was not
as bad as economists expected. It followed a report on Friday that
said sentiment among U.S. consumers hit its lowest level on record.
Early Wednesday, the price for a barrel of Brent crude, the
international standard, fell $3 to $93.89 a barrel. The price for a
barrel of U.S crude oil fell $2.94 to $91.89.
Lower oil prices helped pull yields down in the U.S. bond market,
which eased the pressure on Wall Street. The yield on the 10-year
Treasury fell to 4.47% from 4.56% late Friday.
The U.S. dollar rose to 159.33 Japanese yen from 159.30 yen. The
euro rose to $1.1644 from $1.1631.
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