Global shares up after Wall St’s best quarter since 1998

Global shares were mostly higher Wednesday after Wall Street capped its best quarter since 1998, shrugging off continued signs of damage from the coronavirus pandemic.

Global Shares

• France’s CAC 40 fell 0.2% in early trading to 4,925.53.
• Germany’s DAX gained nearly 0.7% at 12,391.72.
• Britain’s FTSE 100 was a tad higher at 6,170.51.
• U.S. shares were set to drift lower with Dow futures down 0.2% at 25,631.0. S&P 500 futures were also lower at 3,084.88. down 0.2%.

• Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped nearly 0.8% to finish at 22,121.73.

• South Korea’s Kospi inched down nearly 0.1% to 22,121.73.

• Australia’s S&P ASX 200 gained 0.6% to 5,934.40.

• The Shanghai Composite rose 1.4% to 3,025.98, while trading was closed in Hong Kong for a holiday.

Oil Prices

• Benchmark U.S. crude gained 90 cents to $40.17 a barrel.It slid 43 cents to $39.27 a barrel on Tuesday, still nearly double where it was at the end of the first quarter.
• Brent crude rose 90 cents to $42.17 a barrel.

Currency Markets

• The U.S. dollar fell to 107.50 Japanese yen from 107.93 yen.
• The euro inched up to $1.1239 from $1.1236.