BANGKOK—The Thai government is paying natural rubber growers to stop growing rubber in an effort to raise prices, according to news reports from Thailand.

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Asian stock markets fell on Friday amid heightened global trade tensions, while currency markets were whipsawed by a searing selloff in Russia’s rouble after the United States slapped new sanctions, and as economic worries sent the Turkish lira tumbling.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Friday, pulled down by concerns that the escalating trade dispute between the United States and China would stall economic growth and fuel demand.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s factory price inflation cooled in July amid a slowdown in economic growth with Beijing locked in a heated trade dispute with Washington, although economists expect punitive tariffs on U.S goods to add to wider price pressures in months ahead.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Oil prices on Thursday eked out gains on concerns about Iranian crude supplies as the U.S. hit Tehran with renewed sanctions, halting the previous session’s declines amid the escalating China-U.S. trade dispute and worries over China’s demand.

TOKYO (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar inched lower against a basket of currencies on Wednesday as its recent rally on concerns over escalating trade tensions showed signs of fading, while the offshore yuan held firm near a one-week high.