Tokyo – Global shares were higher Monday after Wall Street ended last week barely higher and investors watched for Brexit talks set to start later in the day. –AP/UNB
KEEPING SCORE: France’s CAC 40 added 0.9 percent to 5,311.47 in early trading, while Germany’s DAX also gained 0.9 percent to 12,869.24. Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.7 percent at 7,517.33. U.S. shares were also set to drift higher with Dow futures rising 0.3 percent to 21,406, and S&P 500 futures edging up 0.3 percent to 2,438.40.
ASIA’S DAY: Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 0.6 percent to 20,067.75, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.5 percent to 5,805.20. South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.4 percent to 2,370.90. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng edged up 1.1 percent to 25,916.12, while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.7 percent to 3,144.37.
BREXIT WORRIES: Brexit negotiations were starting Monday, with question marks over Britain’s approach after Prime Minister Theresa May lost her parliamentary majority in an election meant to strengthen her hand in the talks. Germany’s foreign minister is talking about a chance of a “soft” British exit from the European Union that keeps the U.K. in the bloc’s single market.
THE QUOTE: “Global markets lack conviction and direction after the flurry of G4 central bank meetings, fading French political risks and some dialing down in headline U.K. risks,” said Vishnu Varathan of the Singapore Treasury Division at Mizuho Bank.
AMAZON GROCERIES: Wall Street ended the week higher, although consumer stocks got shaken by online giant Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods. Whole Foods and Amazon stocks jumped, while Wal-Mart, Costco and Target tumbled. Amazon already runs AmazonFresh, a grocery delivery service.
ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude fell 18 cents to $44.56 a barrel. It rose 28 cents to $44.74 a barrel in New York late Friday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, slipped 17 cents to $47.20 a barrel in London.
CURRENCIES: The dollar edged down to 111.12 yen from 111.15 late Friday in Asia. The euro rose to $1.1194 from $1.1152.
