News Summary

• Brent crude hit $100.19 on Wednesday, its highest level since July 24.
• The US military attacked five Iranian crude oil carriers overnight, with Iran retaliating with missile attacks on US forces in Jordan and attacks on shipping.
• Wall Street’s three main stock indexes – the S&P, Dow and Nasdaq – each saw small losses.
• European stocks dropped to one-week lows, with industrial and banking stocks hit the worst.
• Asian markets fluctuated, although technology shares continued to climb back from a July low, driven by the artificial intelligence boom.