Since the start of the war, sharp upward moves in oil prices have triggered swings up and down for financial markets worldwide, sometimes by the hour. Oil prices briefly spiked to their highest levels since 2022 this week because of the possibility that production in the Middle East could be blocked for a long time which in turn raised worries about a surge of debilitating inflation for the global economy.

The International Energy Agency said Wednesday that its members will release a record amount of oil, 400 million barrels, from stockpiles they've set aside for emergencies. Such moves push downward on oil prices in the near term, but it will likely require a full resumption of the flow of oil and natural gas from the Persian Gulf area to fully ease the market. That has investors worldwide anxiously awaiting the end of the war.

A report released Wednesday showed that U.S. consumers paid prices for groceries, gasoline and other costs of living that were 2.4% higher in February than a year earlier. that inflation rate was the same as the prior month's and better than the 2.5% that economists expected, but it remains above the 2% target the Federal Reserve has set for the economy. It also doesn't include the spike in gasoline prices that's happened this month because of the war. High inflation combined with a stagnating economy would create a worst-case scenario called 'stagflation' that the Federal Reserve has no good tools to fix. Stagflation fears are rising not just because of higher oil prices but also because of weakness in hiring by U.S. employers.

In stock markets abroad, indexes fell in Europe following better performances in Asia. Germany's DAX lost 1.4% while Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 1.4%.

In the bond market, Treasury yields rose because of the upward pressure from higher oil prices. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.22% from 4.15% late Tuesday, a notable move for the bond market. Higher yields crank up the pressure on other investments, pushing downward on their prices.

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