Global shares were mixed on Thursday, AP reported. France's CAC 40 gained 0.4% in early trading to 4,452.93. Germany's DAX added 0.6% to 4,452.93. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.5% to 5,880.53. U.S. shares were set for gains, with Dow futures advancing 1.1% to 23,767. The future for the S&P 500 picked up 1.2%, to 2,868.62. Most Asian markets slipped Thursday, but Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225, reopening after Golden Week holidays, gained 0.3% to finish at 19,674.77. South Korea's Kospi was little changed, inching down less than 0.1% to 1,928.61. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.4% to 5,364.20. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.7% to 23,980.63, while the Shanghai Composite fell 0.2% to 2,871.52. Benchmark U.S. crude picked up 32 cents to $24.31 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It fell 57 cents, or 2.3%, to $23.99 a barrel Wednesday. Brent crude oil, the international standard, gained 23 cents to $29.95 a barrel. The dollar inched up to 106.48 Japanese yen from 106.13 yen Wednesday. The euro weakened to $1.0785 from $1.0795.
