* OPEC and Russia consider oil output increase
* Wall St slips as oil fall drags down energy stocks
* Italy, Spain fears boost demand for U.S. bonds
* World shares steady but set for weekly loss (Updates with close of U.S. markets)
By Laila Kearney
NEW YORK, May 25 (Reuters) - Growing expectations of increased oil supply hit crude prices on Friday, lifting the U.S. dollar and weighing on energy shares, while political upheaval in Europe and uncertainty over a U.S.-North Korea summit restrained equity markets.
Brent crude futures LCOc1 fell $2.35, or 3 percent, to settle at $76.44 a barrel after Saudi Arabia and Russia said they were ready to ease supply curbs that have pushed prices to their highest since 2014. President Donald Trump on Friday signaled that a June 12 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could still take place a day after he canceled the planned historic summit.
That led to a dip in gold prices, but it did little to increase demand for risk assets, investors said.
"At this point investors are shrugging off Washington headlines because in most cases they won't affect the markets and Washington has a hard time following through what they say," said Arian Vojdani, investment strategist at MV Financial in Bethesda, Maryland.
Gold prices dropped slightly after Trump's latest North Korea comments, but remained above $1,300 per ounce. Street ended mostly down as oil prices dragged down energy stocks ahead of a holiday weekend in the United States, which typically leads to low volume.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 59.15 points, or 0.24 percent, to 24,752.61, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 6.46 points, or 0.24 percent, to 2,721.3 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 9.43 points, or 0.13 percent, to 7,433.85.
The S&P energy index .SPNY slid 2.9 percent, while Chevron (NYSE:CVX) CVX.N dropped 3.7 percent and Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) XOM.N fell 2.1 percent and were the biggest drags on the Dow.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq .IXIC was aided by chipmakers, led by a 2.6 percent jump in Broadcom AVGO.O .
U.S. Treasury yields fell to their lowest level in three weeks as concerns about Italy's new government and a leadership change in Spain boosted appetite for low-risk investments. Prime Minister-designate Giuseppe Conte began assembling his cabinet on Thursday, with party leaders pushing for an 81-year eurosceptic economist to be given the pivotal post of economy minister. Italy's president is opposing the appointee. risk also reared its head in Spain, where a threat of no-confidence motions against Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy sent Spanish stocks and bond prices plunging. pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index .FTEU3 rose 0.05 percent and MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe .MIWD00000PUS shed 0.29 percent.
While yields on German and U.S. bonds fell amid the uncertainty, there have been few signs of a wide-ranging sell-off in higher-risk assets - Wall Street's volatility index .VIX stayed near four-month lows.
"Market reaction to heightened political risk remains reasonably muted," Indosuez Wealth Management global head of economic research Marie Owens Thomsen said.
She cited the example of Turkey and Italy, where a stock and bond sell-off has not spilled much into other emerging economies or euro zone states.
However, worry about Italy kept the euro under pressure against the dollar.
The dollar index .DXY rose 0.48 percent, with the euro EUR= down 0.53 percent to $1.1657.
The dollar has rebounded after touching two-week lows versus a basket of currencies .DXY on Thursday, helped by gains against commodity-linked currencies, as oil prices fell. worries that investors could shift assets from emerging markets to higher-yielding U.S. bonds have been a major headwind for emerging markets this year. Turkey has been the worst hit. GRAPHIC-Global assets in 2018
http://tmsnrt.rs/2jvdmXl GRAPHIC-Emerging markets in 2018
http://tmsnrt.rs/2ihRugV GRAPHIC-World FX rates in 2018
http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh GRAPHIC-MSCI All Country World Index Market Cap
http://tmsnrt.rs/2EmTD6j
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>