Australia

Australian shares are set to open higher, while US stocks fell and oil prices jumped after Iran launched a missile attack on Israel.

ASX futures were higher 0.02% or 2 points as of 8:00am on Wednesday, suggesting a higher open.

Major US stock indexes fell and oil prices climbed after Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel.

The S&P 500 fell 0.9%, a day after it closed at a record high. The Nasdaq Composite lost 1.5% while the Dow Jones Industrial Average surrendered 0.4%.

In commodity markets, Brent crude oil was up 4.0% to US$74.59 a barrel, while gold was unchanged at US$2,663.48.

The Australian dollar was at 68.82 US cents, down from its previous close of 69.11.

Asia

China markets were closed due to a public holiday.

Hong Kong markets were closed due to a public holiday.

Japanese shares closed higher. The Nikkei Stock Average rose 1.9% to 38,651.97.

India shares ended flat. The BSE SENSEX was unchanged at 84,266.29.

Europe

Stocks in the U.K. finished higher. The FTSE 100 Index added 0.5% to 8,276.65.

In Europe, shares closed lower. Germany's DAX fell 0.6% to 19,213.14, and France's CAC 40 slipped 0.8% to 7,574.07.

North America

U.S. stocks ended lower. The DJIA lost 0.4% to 42,156.97, the S&P 500 fell 0.9% to 5,708.75, and the Nasdaq dropped 1.9% to 17,910.36.

Among S&P 500 companies, the top three gainers were Paychex Inc, surging 4.92%, APA Corp jumped 4.91%, and ConocoPhillips lifted 3.88%.

The biggest decliners were Amentum Holdings Inc which dropped 20.16%, Humana Inc fell 11.77%, and Dell Technologies Inc lost 4.54%.