Global shares were mostly higher as investors watched for key inflation data likely to influence the Federal Reserve’s stance on interest rates. France‘s CAC 40 added 0.4 per cent in early trading to 7,420.32. Germany‘s DAX edged up 0.4 per cent to 15,709.27. Britain’s FTSE 100 surged 0.5 per cent to 7,825.05. The future for the Dow industrials gained nearly 0.2 per cent and the S&P 500 future contract added nearly 0.1 per cent.
In Asian trading, Japan‘s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.6 per cent to finish at 28,082.70. Australia‘s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.5 per cent to 7,343.90. South Korea‘s Kospi edged up 1 per cent to 2,550.64..
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index lost 0.9 per cent to 20,309.86 and the Shanghai Composite index added 0.4 per cent to 3,327.18. “Broader markets remain laser-focused on this week’s critical inflation data as market participants attempt to tease out the state of the economy and the course the Fed might take from here,” Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management, said in a report.