Global stocks mostly surge following Trump-Putin talks

TOKYO: Global shares experienced mostly positive movement on Thursday, as US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to begin discussions aimed at ending the ongoing war in Ukraine.

In Europe, France's CAC 40 rose by 1.0%, reaching 8,122.96, while Germany's DAX surged 1.2% to 22,418.16. However, Britain's FTSE 100 saw a slight decline, falling 0.8% to 22,418.16, as reported by AP.

US stocks were poised to show little movement, with Dow futures edging down by less than 0.1% to 44,442.00 and S&P 500 futures also dipping slightly by less than 0.1%, reaching 6,070.25.

The optimism in the Asian markets was driven in part by the prospect of Trump pausing certain tariffs he previously announced.

Despite a dip in U.S. stocks on Wednesday, which followed a report showing rising inflation concerns for Americans, global markets showed resilience.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 climbed 1.3% to finish at 39,461.47. Australia's S&P/ASX200 posted a modest increase of 0.1%, reaching 8,540.00, while South Korea's Kospi gained 1.4% to 2,583.17.

The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong, however, lost earlier gains, dropping 0.2% to 21,814.37. China's Shanghai Composite edged down 0.4%, closing at 3,332.48.

Oil prices continued their overnight decline, partly fueled by the announcement of Trump and Putin’s agreement to negotiate on ending the conflict in Ukraine, which could improve global oil movement. US crude dropped by 83 cents to $70.54 a barrel, while Brent crude fell by 84 cents to $74.34.

In currency markets, the US dollar weakened slightly against the Japanese yen, falling to 154.00 from 154.31 yen. The Euro saw modest gains, rising to $1.0425 from $1.0386.