Middle East Tensions Send World Shares and Oil Prices Higher

A wave of Houthi attacks on oil facilities and utilities in Saudi Arabia's southern region has led to higher oil prices, pushing world shares and US futures lower. The conflict between a key US ally and Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen has flared up again, prompting investors to reassess the situation.

The DAX index in Germany fell 0.3% to 25,922.44, while the CAC 40 in Paris dropped 0.2% to 8,291.43. Britain's FTSE 100 was nearly unchanged at 10,824.32. The S&P 500 future slipped 0.2%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.7%. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 lost 1.7% to 65,269.33 due to a surge in the value of the Japanese yen.

The US dollar slid to 153.86 Japanese yen from 154.34 yen on Tuesday. The yen has gained value against the dollar in recent days due to expectations that the US and Japanese governments might intervene to prevent further weakening. Last week, the dollar briefly rose to about 160 yen.