Global stocks: What you need to know as markets kick off 2024

News Snapshot:

London CNN — Stocks slipped back on the first trading day of 2024, but oil prices rose 2% on escalating tensions in the Middle East and bitcoin got another bump to trade above $45,000. Europe’s benchmark Stoxx Europe 600 index rose in early trade, before falling 0.5% by 7.54 a.m. ET Tuesday. Markets in Asia ended mixed. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.5%, while mainland China’s Shanghai Composite closed down 0.4%, after weak manufacturing data. South Korean and Australian stocks rose. On Wall Street, Dow futures were trading 0.6% lower. S&P 500 futures dropped 0.8%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell...