World shares are mixed and oil sinks $3 after Trump says Iran stopped
killings
[January 15, 2026] By
CHAN HO-HIM
HONG KONG (AP) — World shares were mixed Thursday and U.S. futures
gained after Wall Street retreated, dragged down by falls in Big Tech
stocks.
Oil prices fell nearly $3 a barrel after U.S. President Donald Trump
said he was told “on good authority” that plans for executions in Iran
have stopped, even as Tehran signaled fast trials and executions ahead
in its crackdown on protesters.
U.S. benchmark crude fell $2.73, or 4.5%, to $59.13 per barrel. Brent
crude, the international standard, shed $2.94, or 4.4%, to $63.58 per
barrel.
The future for the S&P 500 gained 0.3% on Thursday, while that for the
Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up less than 0.1%.
In European trading, France’s CAC 40 dropped 0.4% in early trading to
8,296.41. Germany's DAX was nearly unchanged at 25,291.73. Britain’s
FTSE 100 rose 0.5% to 10,233.35.
In Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.4% to 54,110.50, with
technology-related stocks trading lower. SoftBank Group fell 4.9%, while
testing equipment maker Advantest fell 2.5%.
But shares in retailer Ryohin Keikaku, or Muji, jumped nearly 12% after
it reported stronger-than-expected earnings.
Shares of machinery and equipment maker Toyota Industries rose 6.2%
following reports that automaker Toyota Motor has raised its buyout
offer for the company to 18,800 yen ($118.61) per share.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 0.3% to 26,923.62. Hong Kong-listed shares
of Chinese online travel platform Trip.com sank 19% after Beijing said
it had opened an antitrust investigation into the group. The Shanghai
Composite index fell 0.3%, to 4,112.60 after Chinese regulators raised
minimum margin requirements for investors.
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People walk in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's
Nikkei index at a securities firm Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Tokyo.
(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
 South Korea’s Kospi gained 1.6% to
4,797.55.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.5% to 8,861.70.
Taiwan’s Taiex fell 0.4%. Shares of Taiwan’s leading chip maker TSMC
fell 1.2%, even after it announced better-than-expected quarterly
profit and revenue. The company said it plans to increase its
capital spending this year.
TSMC said it expects to increase its capital spending by nearly 40%
this year as it works to keep up with surging demand due to the
expanding use of AI.
On Wednesday, the S&P 500 dipped 0.5% for its second straight loss.
The Dow slipped 0.1% and the Nasdaq composite shed 1%.
Big Tech stocks were among those weighing on performance -- even as
the majority of stocks on Wall Street rose -- in part as investors
dialed back from the artificial intelligence frenzy and as some
critics warned their stocks had become overvalued.
In other dealings early Thursday, the U.S. dollar fell to 158.42
Japanese yen from 158.46 yen.
The euro fell to $1.1639 from $1.1645.
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