Europe’s Stoxx 600 regional stock index opened 1 percent higher, with gains for banks and the auto industry, although it remained more than 6 percent lower for the year to date. London’s FTSE 100 index rose 0.8 percent and Germany’s Stoxx 600 regional stock index rose 1.2 percent. In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 0.9%, although it also remained lower at 6.5% for the year. Japan’s Topix rose 0.9%, while China’s CSI 300 index of Shanghai and Shenzhen shares fell 0.3%. Envoys from Moscow and Kyiv met in Istanbul on Tuesday to discuss a possible peace deal. However, many investors expect that the effects of the war, including the spiraling prices of goods and metals produced in the countries, will continue to weigh on financial markets. “The tragic war in Ukraine has led to a global energy shock. “We are seeing this rising inflation pushing consumers and hurting growth, especially in Europe,” the BlackRock Institute wrote in a note to customers. “THE [US central bank] “It has started talking hard about inflation and has predicted a big rise in interest rates.” Brent crude, the international benchmark for crude oil, fell 0.5 percent to $ 111.90 a barrel. That was about 15 percent above the closing level of February 23, the eve of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but the price jumped to almost $ 140 this month. The West Texas Intermediate, the US index, lost 0.6 percent to $ 105.28.
