Oil prices rose in Asia Thursday, bouncing back from a sharp fall the day before but expectations of another build in U.S. crude inventories cast a shadow on the market.

Traders are waiting for the release later Thursday of data by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) showing the country's commercial stockpiles for an indication of demand in the world's top crude consumer.

Greek unions on Thursday kicked off a general strike against fresh austerity cuts, the first under the leftist government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

The strike against tax hikes and an upcoming pensions overhaul has shut down public services, hit ship and train transport and forced the cancellation of dozens of domestic flights.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran will probably sign a deal to buy Airbus aircraft during his visit to France starting Monday.

"We already use Airbus or Boeing planes today," Rouhani said, according to a transcript of an interview with broadcaster France 2 and Europe 1 radio, made available to AFP on Wednesday ahead of its airing.

Chinese Internet users spent billions of dollars in the planet's biggest online shopping splurge Wednesday, as "Singles Day" hit new heights, despite slowing growth in the world's second-largest economy.

The cumulative national bill for the day-long orgy of commerce dwarfed what Americans spent online over the five-day frenzy from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday last year.

Boeing said Tuesday that it had canceled a contract with the Britain-based supplier of a part for its new 737 MAX airliner, but confirmed the first deliveries of the planes for 2017.

GKN PLC was responsible for supplying parts for the thrust reverser, the device that slows the airplane on landing, but Boeing will "change the design of the 737 MAX thrust reverser inner wall," spokesman Doug Adler told Agence France Presse.

Shanghai stocks managed to lead a regional advance on Wednesday as more Chinese figures indicating weakness in the world's number two economy spurred hopes Beijing will unveil more measures to spur growth.

The broadly positive mood on trading floors also helped emerging currencies recover slightly against the dollar after rallying since Friday's U.S. jobs data ramped up expectations the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates this year.

Air links between Russia and Egypt will be cut for at least several months after last month's air crash in which 224 died, the Kremlin's chief of staff said Tuesday.

"It's for a long time. For how long, I can't say, but I think for several months, at least," the Kremlin chief of staff Sergei Ivanov told journalists in Helsinki, quoted by Interfax news agency.

France's economy minister said on Tuesday that his country's economy is "lacklustre" and will probably remain so in 2016.

The French economy is still on track to grow by between 1 and 1.2 percent in 2015, he told Europe 1 radio.

The dollar edged lower on Tuesday, taking a breather from its strengthening pace after last week's blockbuster U.S. jobs report that firmed the case for a Federal Reserve interest rate increase this year.

High-yielding emerging market currencies were mixed against the greenback after suffering big losses on speculation over U.S. rate moves.

Oil prices edged up Tuesday after retreating the previous day but gains were tempered by long-running worries about a supply glut and a weak global economic outlook.

The black gold retreated Monday after a weekend report from China, the world's second biggest economy and number-one energy use, showed exports and imports -- particularly of crude --tumbled last month.