Asian stocks fall after Wall St breaks 4-day winning streak
Associated PressBEIJING — Asian stock markets sank Thursday after Chinese manufacturing weakened and Russian shelling around Ukraine’s capital shook hopes of progress in peace talks. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 declined to 4,602.45 after Commerce Department data showed the U.S. economy grew at an annual pace of 6.9% in the final quarter of 2021, below forecasts. In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude tumbled $6.67 to $101.15 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. President Joe Biden is preparing to order the release of up to 1 million barrels of oil per day from the U.S. strategic petroleum reserve to help control energy prices, according to two people familiar with the decision who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview it.