Shares rose in Asia on Wednesday while oil prices jumped more than $1.20 a barrel following a report that Israel may be planning an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. Oil prices surged after a CNN report cited unnamed intelligence officials saying Israel may be preparing for an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. Oil prices tend to rise with conflicts that might disrupt oil supplies. U.S. benchmark crude oil gained $1.21 to $63.24 per barrel while Brent crude, the international standard, rose $1.20 to $66.58 per barrel. In talks on the nuclear issue, Iranian officials have warnedthey could pursue a nuclear weaponwith their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels. U.S. PresidentDonald Trumphas repeatedly threatened tounleash airstrikes targeting Iran's programif a deal isn't reached. In share trading, Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 0.1% to 37,491.80. Gains have been constrained by the continued worries over highertariffsTrump has imposed on many U.S. trading partners since taking office. Earlier this week, Japanese officials said they were insisting all of his higher tariffs on imports from Japan be removed as part of talks with Washington. In a step that further weakened Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's faltering administration, theagriculture minister, Taku Eto, resignedafter an outcry over comments he made about not having to buy rice, but getting it for free, at a time when shortfalls in supply have pushed prices of the staple grain sharply higher. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng picked up 0.4% to 23,772.34, while the Shanghai Composite index edged 0.2% higher to 3,384.90. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 surged 0.8% to 8,411.50, while the Kospi in South Korea also gained 0.8%, to 2,621.32. Taiwan's Taiex advanced 0.6%. On Tuesday, the S&P 500 lost 0.4% to 5,940.46, for its first drop in seven days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3% to 42,677.24, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.4% to 19,142.71. Treasury yields and the value of the U.S. dollar held relatively stable followinga brief jolt Monday morningafter Moody's Ratings said theU.S. government no longer deserves a top-tier credit ratingbecause of worries about its spiraling debt. U.S. government debt could be set to get even bigger withWashington debating more cuts to taxes. Stocks of companies in the travel industry led the way lower on doubts about how much U.S. households will be able to spend on summer vacations. Airbnb dropped 3.3%, Norwegian Cruise Line fell 3.9% and United Airlines lost 2.9%. Viking Holdings fell 5% even though the company, which offers river cruises and other trips, reported stronger results than analysts expected for the latest quarter. Home Depot slipped 0.6% after reporting a profit for the start of the year that came up just short of analysts' expectations, though its revenue topped forecasts. The home-improvement retailer also saidit's sticking with its forecastsfor profit and sales growth over the full year. That's counter to a growing number of companies, which have recently said tariffs and uncertainty about the economyare making it difficult to guess what the upcoming year will bring. Trump has delayed or rolled many of the stiff tariffs he has imposed as he tries to compel companies to move manufacturing to the United States. Investors are hopeful that Trump will eventually lower his tariffs after reaching trade deals with other countries, but that's not a certainty. On the winning side of Wall Street was D-Wave Quantum, which jumped 25.9% after releasing its latest quantum computing system. The company says it can solve complex problems beyond the reach of classical computers. Target and Home Depot rival Lowe's will report their latest results on Wednesday. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury edged up to 4.47% from 4.46% late Monday. The two-year yield, which more closely tracks expectations for action by the Federal Reserve, edged down to 3.96% from 3.97%. In currency dealings, the U.S. dollar fell to 144.10 Japanese yen from 144.51 yen. The euro rose to $1.1307 from $1.1284. ___ AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed.
