Global shares were mostly higher Wednesday, AP reported. France's CAC 40 edged up nearly 0.3 percent in early trading to 5,070.33, while Germany's DAX was 0.4 percent higher at 11,175.29. Britain's FTSE 100 edged up nearly 0.5 percent to 7,165.82. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 adding 1.3 percent to finish at 21,144.48. Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 1.2 percent at 28,497.59. The Shanghai Composite index jumped 1.8 percent to 2,721.07. In other markets, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.3 percent to 6,063.60 and South Korea's Kospi edged up 0.5 percent to 2,201.48. Shares were mostly higher in Southeast Asia. U.S. benchmark crude rose 40 cents to $53.50 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It rose 1.3 percent to settle at $53.10 per barrel in New York. Brent crude, the standard for international oil prices, gained 54 cents to $62.96 per barrel in London. The dollar rose to 110.71 yen from 110.50 yen Tuesday. The euro strengthened to $1.1324 from $1.1285.
