World stocks markets traded unevenly Wednesday on investor uncertainty over whether European Central Bank policymakers would follow through on promises to help revive flagging growth at a policy meeting this week, AP reported. European stocks were moderately higher in early trading, with France's CAC 40 rising 0.4 percent to 4,423.46 and Germany's DAX adding 0.4 percent to 9,727.59. Britain's FTSE 100 edged up 0.1 percent to 6,130.56. U.S. stocks were poised to open higher, with Dow futures adding 0.3 percent to 17,028.00 and broader S&P 500 futures up 1,986.40. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index lost 0.8 percent to close at 16,642.20 while South Korea's Kospi rose 0.3 percent to end at 1,952.95 after recovering early losses. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dipped 0.1 percent to 19,996.26 and the Shanghai Composite Index in mainland China retreated 1.3 percent to 2,862.56. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 1 percent to 5,157.20, while markets in Southeast Asia were mixed. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 41 cents to $36.91 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.40 to settle at $36.50 a barrel on Tuesday. Brent crude, which is used to price international oils, added 61 cents to $40.27 a barrel in London. The dollar slipped to 112.51 yen from 112.58 yen. The euro weakened to $1.0973 from $1.0998.
