European stocks fell on Thursday, with the pan-European STOXX 600 down 0.9% and bank shares sliding nearly 2% to a more than three-month low. Oil climbed more than 3% on continued worries about Middle East supply disruptions, lifting inflation concerns. Investors are looking for fresh policy signals from the European Central Bank, the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England, wary that sticky inflation could limit the scope for rate cuts and weigh on growth.

Asian equities broadly weakened on inflation concerns, with MSCI’s Asia Pacific index down 0.3% as Japan and South Korea fell and mainland China markets reopened after a holiday. Samsung Electronics Co. swung between gains and losses after reporting record profit that still missed estimates. In commodities, Brent crude rose 1% to around $101.20 a barrel, lifted by a report on potential US strike options against Iran and storm-related US output disruptions.

India has lowered the maximum sugar inventory dealers can hold to 1,000 quintals, with the rule in effect from October 15 to November 30. The government also cut the permitted stockholding period for dealers to 15 days to keep supplies flowing during the festival period. It previously said average retail sugar prices had fallen 15% from their August peak and were expected to decline further, while ex-mill prices were down about 28% and had remained stable, the ministry said.

Paramount Skydance has completed its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery and will operate under the Skydance name. The combined company will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SKYD. CEO David Ellison will lead the new group across film, television, streaming and news, with a plan to cut $6 billion in costs.

Alphabet is reportedly nearing a multiyear nuclear power purchase agreement with Constellation Energy valued at $1 billion or more to help meet AI-driven electricity demand. Constellation Energy shares rose more than 4% in overnight trading on the report. The stock last closed at $267.62, still below its 52-week high of $412.70.

Indian sugar stocks climbed sharply on Tuesday, with Balrampur Chini up over 6% and Dhampur Sugar rising 8%, as raw sugar futures held near two-year highs. Investors focused on tightening supply risks in Brazil, Europe and Thailand, alongside stronger festival-season demand in India. Output expectations in the EU and the UK were cut to 14.98 million tonnes amid heatwaves and El Nino conditions, adding to the view that global supplies could tighten further.

Samsung Electronics is expected to post a record third-quarter operating profit of 108.1 trillion won, propelled by a sharp rise in demand for memory semiconductors. Revenue for the same period is projected at about 201.7 trillion won, up 134.4% year on year. The Device Solutions division is forecast to deliver an operating margin of 72% to 75%, underscoring the profitability of the chip business.

Indian equities extended their losing streak as rising global bond yields and elevated crude oil prices weighed on sentiment and stoked concerns over the FY27 economic outlook. The Nifty 50 fell 198.50 points and the BSE Sensex dropped 570.59 points. HDFC Bank received regulatory approval to appoint a new managing director and CEO. Infosys’ ADR rose nearly 8% in premarket trading after peer Accenture reported better-than-expected results and issued a stronger FY27 revenue outlook.

US stocks came under pressure as the 10-year Treasury yield climbed to 5.3445%, its highest level since 2002, weighing on demand for richly valued shares. Rate-sensitive sectors led the declines, with housing shares down 1.4% and banks off 2.2%. Software stocks bucked the broader weakness, lifting the S&P 500 software index 1.7% to its highest level since November, after Accenture surged 22% on a stronger-than-expected full-year revenue growth forecast.