Global shares were mostly higher Wednesday, AP reported. France's CAC 40 added 0.6 percent to 5,140.46, while Germany's DAX rose 0.8 percent to 12,293.65. Britain's FTSE 100 was up 0.7 percent at 7,216.32. U.S. shares were set for gains with Dow futures up 0.6 percent at 24,775 and S&P 500 futures 0.5 percent higher at 2,674.70. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.4 percent to finish at 21,154.17, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.3 percent to 5,841.20. South Korea's Kospi gained 1.1 percent at 2,421.83. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 2.3 percent to 30,515.60, while the Shanghai Composite index added 0.5 percent to 3,199.16. Markets in Southeast Asia were mixed. Benchmark U.S. crude lost 20 cents to $58.99 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It fell 10 cents to $59.19 a barrel in New York Tuesday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, fell 31 cents to $62.40 a barrel in London. The dollar fell to 107.31 yen from 107.55 yen. The euro climbed to $1.2364 from $1.2351.
