Chinese shares dived Thursday after big gains in the past three months and other global stock markets were mostly lower as a deadline neared for cash-starved Greece to make a debt payment, AP reported. Shares suffered a dramatic plunge in China with the Shanghai Composite dropping more than 6 percent. In Europe, France's CAC 40 slipped 0.6 percent to 5,150.37 and Germany's DAX lost 0.2 percent to 11,745.84. Britain's FTSE 100 inched down 0.1 percent to 7,026.85. U.S. shares were set to drift lower, with Dow futures down 0.2 percent to 18,109.00. S&P 500 futures shed 0.1 percent to 2,117.90. The Shanghai Composite ended down 6.5 percent at 4,620.27 in another episode of the volatility that has punctuated the market during a 12-month period in which it has gained 127 percent. Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.4 percent to 20,551.46; the index is up nearly 10 percent in the past three months as exporter stocks benefit from a cheap yen. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged down 0.2 percent to 5,713.10 while South Korea's Kospi gained 0.2 percent to 2,110.89. Benchmark U.S. crude added 19 cents to $57.69 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 52 cents to settle at $57.51 a barrel in Nymex floor trading on Wednesday. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, rose 62 cents to $62.67 a barrel in London. The euro rose to $1.0942 from $1.0899 in the previous trading session. The dollar rose to 123.95 yen from 123.75 yen.
