Global stock markets were mostly lower on Friday while stocks in mainland China extended their gains on expectations of further policy easing, AP reported. In Europe, markets opened mixed with Britain's FTSE 100 up 0.4 percent at 7,090.82 and France's CAC 40 adding 0.1 percent to 5,227.91. Germany's DAX was down 0.2 percent at 11,979.03. Futures showed that Wall Street was headed for a lukewarm day. S&P 500 futures and Dow futures were both 0.2 percent lower. In Asia the Shanghai Composite index rose 2.2 percent to 4,287.30 while South Korea's Kospi was up 0.2 percent at 2,143.50. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 0.3 percent to 27,653.12. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1.2 percent to 19,652.88, while Australia's S&P ASX 200 was down 1.2 percent at 5,877.90. Stocks in Shanghai continued their gains after data showed that China's economy grew at the slowest pace since 2009 during the first quarter. The data stoked expectations that the country would introduce further stimulus measures to achieve its annual growth target.
