Brent hit a two-decade low Wednesday as oil resumed its painful retreat and extended a rout that has torn through energy markets, though stock exchanges in Asia and Europe were mixed following a two-day sell-off.

A day after its historic slide into negative territory amid a supply glut, U.S. oil futures finished in positive territory Tuesday although the market remained under heavy pressure.

The head of the U.N. food agency warned Tuesday that, as the world is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, it is also "on the brink of a hunger pandemic" that could lead to "multiple famines of biblical proportions" within a few months if immediate action isn't taken.

World Food Program Executive Director David Beasley told the U.N. Security Council that even before COVID-19 became an issue, he was telling world leaders that "2020 would be facing the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II." That's because of wars in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere, locust swarms in Africa, frequent natural disasters and economic crises including in Lebanon, Congo, Sudan and Ethiopia, he said.

The Saudi stock market led Gulf bourses down on Tuesday, a day after U.S. oil prices slumped to historic lows over sluggish demand, a supply glut and a lack of storage.

US crude prices bounced Tuesday but were unable to keep in positive territory, a day after crashing below $0 for the first time owing to crippled demand and a storage glut, while the commodity rout sent equities sharply lower.

The U.S. benchmark crude oil price collapsed on Monday, falling to one cent a barrel amid an epic supply glut caused largely by the coronavirus pandemic's hit to demand.

Absent staff and broken supply chains scuppered efforts by some Indian industries to restart Monday, weeks after the government ordered a nationwide shutdown to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Spain's economy is likely to crash by between 6.6 percent and 13.6 percent in 2020 as a result of the deadly coronavirus pandemic, the Bank of Spain warned on Monday. 

The estimated contraction would be "unprecedented in recent history" even if the figures were subject to "huge uncertainty" depending on how long the current lockdown lasts, the central bank said in a statement. 

Emirates NBD, Dubai's largest bank, on Monday reported a 24 percent slide in first quarter net profits after making huge provisions for risks resulting from the impact of coronavirus.

Oil prices collapsed to more than two-decade lows Monday as traders grow concerned that storage facilities are reaching their limits, while signs that the coronavirus may have peaked in Europe and the United States were unable to help Asian equities extend their recent advances.