World shares are mixed after US Treasury expands debt buybacks, while Brent crude gains 2.2%

World shares experienced a mixed performance on Thursday amidst the US Treasury's announcement of expanding debt buybacks. European markets started lower after a strong opening in Asia, with South Korea's Kospi index surging nearly 6%. However, US futures dipped slightly following the Treasury's plan to double the size of planned purchases of longer-term government debt, which could ease pressure on share prices from the bond market.

Germany's DAX fell 0.6%, the CAC 40 in Paris slipped 0.1%, and Britain's FTSE 100 dropped 0.3%. In Asia, the Kospi jumped 5.9% to 6,852.58, while Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 1.4% to 66,216.79. Yields on US government bonds fell after the Treasury's announcement, which seemed to calm investors' concerns over rising yields. Meanwhile, oil prices rose as there was little progress in US-Iran negotiations over the ongoing war.

Brent crude, the international standard, gained 2.2% to USD 93.61 a barrel, while US benchmark crude increased 2.1% to $86.20 a barrel.