Reuters

A strong rise across autos boosted European shares on Thursday, as hopes over a softening in U.S. trade rhetoric lifted the sector.

Oil prices fell after Trump sent a strident tweet demanding that OPEC cut prices for crude.

Asian stocks fell for the fourth day and major currencies traded in tight ranges, with financial markets jittery before a U.S. deadline to impose tariffs on Chinese imports just a day away.

Beijing said it will respond the instant U.S. measures go into effect as the two locked horns in a bitter trade war.

Brent oil rose on Wednesday, driven higher by a threat from an Iranian commander and a drop in U.S. crude inventories for the second week in a row.

The U.S. ambassador to Germany has told German car bosses that Trump would suspend threats to impose tariffs on EU auto imports if the bloc lifted duties on U.S. cars.

The euro fell on Wednesday as a weaker purchasing managers’ confidence overshadowed better-than-expected data on business activity.

China will “absolutely not” fire the first shot in a trade war with the United States and will not be the first to levy tariffs, its finance ministry said on Wednesday.

The pound rose on Wednesday after a survey showing Britain’s dominant services industry gained momentum last month fueled expectations of a BOE rate hike.

European shares slipped on Wednesday as worries over global trade persisted.