Most share markets firmed and oil slid on Monday on hopes for progress in Russian-Ukraine peace talks even as fighting continued to rage, while bond markets braced for rate rises in the United States and UK this week.
SYDNEY, March 14 (Reuters) – Most share markets firmed and oil slid on Monday on hopes for progress in Russian-Ukraine peace talks even as fighting continued to rage, while bond markets braced for rate rises in the United States and UK this week. While Russian missiles hit a large Ukrainian base near the border with Poland on Sunday, both sides gave their most upbeat assessment yet of prospects for talks. Just the chance of peace saw S&P 500 stock futures ESc1 add 0.5%, while Nasdaq futures NQc1 rose 0.4%. EUROSTOXX 50 futures STXEc1 gained 0.5% and FTSE futures FFIc1 0.2%. The chance of progress on Ukraine saw oil prices surrender a little of their recent gains, even as talks with producer Iran seemed to be stalled. O/R Brent LCOc1 was last quoted $2.13 lower at $110.54, while U.S. crude CLc1 fell $2.46 to $106.84. NN: As we predicted, after the colossal sell out by the US and Europe the best that can be hoped for is a early surrender.