Global Mkts Mixed As Uncertainty Persists Over Trump’s Plans

Tokyo: Global shares traded mixed on Thursday, as worries crept back following a Wall Street rally that came after President Donald Trump appeared to back off his criticism of the Federal Reserve and his tough talk in his trade war.

France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.9 per cent in early trading to 7,412.26, while the German DAX shed early 1.0 per cent to 21,755.04. Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 0.3 per cent to 8,375.06. US shares were set to drift lower with Dow futures declining nearly 0.9 per cent at 39,433.00. S&P 500 futures fell 0.8 per cent to 5,359.25.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 added 0.5 per cent to finish at 35,039.15. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.6 per cent to 7,968.20. South Korea’s Kospi lost 0.1 per cent to 2,522.33. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng declined 0.7 per cent to 21,909.76, while the Shanghai Composite was little changed, inching up less than 0.1 per cent to 3,297.29. Calling Trump’s policy announcements “headline turbulence,” Tan Jing Yi of the Asia & Oceania Treasury Department at Mizuho Bank warned that global economies could be hurt in the long run, adding, “Sentiments swing from hopes of intense relief to inflicted economic gloom.”