Global shares are mostly lower, AP reported. France's CAC 40 dropped 3.5% in early trading to 4,565.93, while Germany's DAX dropped 3.3% to 11,663.00. Britain's FTSE 100 lost 2.3% to 5,595.22. U.S. shares were poised for declines, with Dow futures down 1.7% at 26,893.0, while S&P 500 futures were trading at 3,335.38, down 1.5%. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 0.3% to 23,418.51. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.6% to 2,345.26. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.1% to 6,057.70. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 0.3% to 24,708.80, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.5% to 3,269.24. India's Sensex slumped 1.6% to 39,888.14. In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude lost $1.62 to $37.95 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gained $1.01 to $39.57 per barrel on Tuesday. Brent crude, the international standard, fell $1.39 to $40.22 a barrel. The U.S. dollar weakened to 104.27 Japanese yen from 104.41 yen late Tuesday. The euro cost $1.1758, down from $1.1796.
