Global equity markets fall as bond yields rise and oil prices climb

World equity markets slipped on Wednesday as a broad bond-market sell-off deepened and oil prices rose after the United States launched another round of military strikes on Iran. In U.S. futures, the S&P 500 index was down 0.3% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.1%.

European markets opened lower, with Britain’s FTSE 100 down 0.6%, France’s CAC 40 down 0.4% and Germany’s DAX down 0.6%. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped 2.9%, led by a 6.4% fall in SoftBank Group, while South Korea’s Kospi slid 4% on selling of chipmakers, including a 4% decline for Samsung Electronics and a 4.7% drop for SK Hynix. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng edged down 0.1% and Shanghai’s Composite fell 1%.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 1%, Taiwan’s Taiex slipped 1.7% and India’s Sensex declined 0.6%. Among major U.S. stocks, Nvidia fell 1.5%, Amazon dropped 1.9% and Advanced Micro Devices lost 2.4%.

Oil prices edged higher, with Brent crude at $94.90 a barrel and U.S. crude at $90.34, reflecting concerns over energy supplies after the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz intensified.

U.S. Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year yield reaching about 4.81% and the 2-year yield around 4.40%, while Japan’s 10-year government bond yield climbed to roughly 3.02%, its highest level since 1996. The U.S. dollar weakened to 159.84 yen, and the euro fell to $1.1571.

"Elevated inflation and growing government debt are helping drive bond yields higher as investors demand increased returns due to increased risks," a market analyst noted.

The combination of higher yields, weaker currencies and rising oil prices contributed to the broad decline across global equity markets.