Global shares were mixed Wednesday, AP reported. France's CAC 40 rose 0.5 percent to 5,187.38 in early trading, while Germany's DAX added 0.6 percent to 12,470.39. Britain's FTSE 100 surged 0.8 percent to 7,200.85. But U.S. shares were set to drift lower with Dow futures down 1.1 percent at 24,527. S&P 500 futures also dropped 1.1 percent, to 2,665.70. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index surged as soon as trading began, but gave up its initial gains as the yen strengthened against the dollar. It ended the day up only 0.2 percent at 21,645.37. The benchmark had tumbled as much as 7.1 percent on Tuesday before regaining some lost ground to close 4.7 percent lower. In South Korea the Kospi, which saw only modest losses on Tuesday, fell back to close 2.3 percent lower at 2,396.53. Also Wednesday, U.S. crude oil added 29 cents to $63.68 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It fell 76 cents, or 1.2 percent, to close at $63.39 a barrel in New York Tuesday. Brent crude, the benchmark for international oil prices, rose 25 cents to $67.11 a barrel in London. In currency trading, the dollar fell to 109.02 yen from 109.54 yen late Tuesday. The euro slipped to $1.2372 from $1.2377.
