World shares gain, while oil prices jump as Trump orders a blockade of oil tankers to Venezuela

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares advanced Wednesday in Europe and Asia as strong buying of technology shares helped lift some benchmarks, while the price of U.S. crude briefly surged more than 2% after President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of all “sanctioned oil tankers” into Venezuela.

Trump's move followed the seizure by U.S. forces last week of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast, an unusual move that followed a buildup of military forces in the region as his administration ramps up pressure on the country’s authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro.

The future for the S&P 500 edged 0.1% higher and that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was virtually unchanged.

In Germany, the DAX added 0.3% to 24,138.73, while the CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.1% to 8,115.18. Britain's FTSE 100 surged 1.4% to 9,817.65.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gained 0.3% to 49,512.28 as traders awaited a decision on an interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan later in the week.

Adding to expectations for a rate hike, Japan reported its exports rose 6% in November from a year earlier, as shipments to the U.S. rose for the first time since March. A trade deal with the Trump administration that set tariffs on imports from Japan at a baseline rate of 15%, down from the initial plan for a 25% helped boost exports of cars and chemicals, among other key manufactured goods.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 0.9% to 25,468.78, while the Shanghai Composite index jumped 1.2% to 3,870.28.

In South Korea, the Kospi advanced 1.4% to 4,056.41, lifted by computer chip maker SK Hynix, which gained 4%, and a 5% jump for Samsung Electronics.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gave up 0.2% to 8,585.20.

On Tuesday, U.S. stocks drifted through a mixed day of trading after reports on the U.S. economy did little to clear up uncertainty about where interest rates may be heading.

One report said the U.S. unemployment rate was at its worst level since 2021 in November, but employers also added more jobs last month than economists expected. A separate report, meanwhile, said an underlying measure of strength for revenue at U.S. retailers grew more in October than economists expected.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.2%, staying a bit below its all-time high set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.6% and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.2%.

The varied economic data left intact traders’ hopes that the Federal Reserve may continue to cut interest rates in 2026. What the Fed does with interest rates is a top driver for financial markets because lower rates can boost the economy and prices for investments, even if they also may worsen inflation.

A report coming on Thursday will show how bad inflation was last month, and economists expect it to show prices for U.S. consumers continue to rise faster than anyone would like.

A report released on Tuesday suggested price pressures are rising sharply, with average selling prices for businesses climbing at one of the fastest rates since the middle of 2022. The preliminary data from S&P Global also said growth for overall business activity slowed to its weakest level since June.

Overhanging the markets are questions about whether all the spending underway on AI technology will produce the kind of profits and productivity that will make it worth the expense.

The sharpest losses on Wall Street came from companies in the oil business as prices for crude skidded. Expectations that companies are pumping more than enough oil to meet the world’s demand sent the price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude to its lowest level since 2021.

Early Wednesday, U.S. crude was up 99 cents, or 1.8%, at $56.26 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, picked up 96 cents, or 1.6%, to $59.88 per barrel.

In other dealings early Wednesday, the U.S. dollar rose to 155.48 Japanese yen from 154.73 yen. The euro slipped to $1.1717 from $1.1748.

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters, in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader watches monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters, in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader stands near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters, in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

PARIS (AP) — Employees at the Louvre Museum were set to vote Wednesday morning on whether to extend a strike that shut the world’s most visited museum, as unions protest chronic understaffing, building deterioration and recent management decisions; pressures intensified by a brazen crown jewels heist in October.

Workers were expected to gather for a general assembly to decide whether to continue the walkout, which was adopted unanimously earlier this week. The museum was closed Tuesday for its regular weekly shutdown.

Unions say frustration has mounted over staff shortages, aging infrastructure and a planned increase in ticket prices for non-European visitors.

Tensions have been further sharpened by fallout from the theft of crown jewels during a daylight robbery that exposed serious security lapses at the museum.

Culture Ministry officials held crisis talks with unions Monday and proposed to cancel a planned $6.7 million cut in 2026 funding, open new recruitment for gallery guards and visitor services and increase staff compensation. Union officials said the measures fell short.

The labor vote is expected hours before Louvre President Laurence des Cars is scheduled to appear before the Senate’s culture committee at 4:30 p.m., as lawmakers continue probing security failures at the museum.

Des Cars has acknowledged an “institutional failure” following the heist but has come under renewed scrutiny after admitting she only learned of a critical 2019 security audit after the robbery. France’s Court of Auditors and a separate administrative inquiry have since criticized long delays in implementing a long-promised security overhaul.

The Culture Ministry announced emergency anti-intrusion measures last month and assigned Philippe Jost, who oversaw the Notre Dame restoration, to help reorganize the museum. The move was widely seen as a sign of mounting pressure on Louvre leadership.

The museum’s reopening now hinges on the outcome of Wednesday’s vote.

Workers display union flags and banners outside the Louvre museum after they voted to strike for the day over working conditions and other complaints, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Workers display banners at an entrance of the Louvre museum after they voted to strike for the day over working conditions and other complaints, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Workers display an union flag outside the Louvre museum after they voted to strike for the day over working conditions and other complaints, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Workers display a banner reading "Louvre on strike" outside the Louvre museum after they voted to strike for the day over working conditions and other complaints, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Workers display banners outside the Louvre museum after they voted to strike for the day over working conditions and other complaints, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)