France's CAC 40 gained 0.9% in early trading to 7,163.56, while Germany's DAX jumped 1.1% to 15,833.44. Britain's FTSE 100 edged up 0.7% to 7,495.59. U.S. shares were set to drift higher with Dow futures inching up nearly 0.1% to 32,994.00. S&P 500 futures rose 0.2% to 4,197.00. Oil prices rose.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.8% to finish at 31,148.01. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.3% to 7,110.80. South Korea's Kospi quickly lost early gains to dip 0.3% to 2,569.17. Hong Kong's Hang Seng declined 0.1% to 18,216.91, while the Shanghai Composite was little changed at 3,204.63. Worries have been rising about an economic slowdown under the weight of much higher interest rates. The Federal Reserve has raised rates at a furious pace since early 2022 in hopes of getting inflation under control. But high rates work by hurting the economy and hitting prices for investments.