World stock markets mostly fell Wednesday as investors factored in the prospect of the Federal Reserve reducing its lavish monetary stimulus this month, AP reported. Bourses across Asia recorded losses. In early European trading, Britain's FTSE 100 was nearly unchanged at 6,525.60. France's CAC 40 was up 0.4 percent at 4,107.35. Germany's DAX was little changed at 9,110.73. Futures augured a lower open on Wall Street, with Dow Jones futures down 0.1 percent and S&P 500 futures off 0.2 percent. Japan's Nikkei 225 closed down 0.6 percent at 15,515.06. Hong Kong's Hang Seng tumbled 1.7 percent to 23,338.24 and China's Shanghai Composite shed 1.5 percent to 2,204.17. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.8 percent to 5,104.20 and South Korea's Kospi slid 0.8 percent to 1,977.97. Southeast Asian bourses also were down.
