World shares mostly climbed on Wednesday, following a choppy trading day on Wall Street as the Trump administration seeks to win more favorable trade deals with nations around the globe.
In early trading, major indexes in Europe were all higher. Germany’s DAX added 0.7% to 24,373.05. Britain’s FTSE 100 edged 0.1% higher to 8,861.90. France’s CAC 40 rose 0.8% to 7,829.04.
The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were both 0.1% higher.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed 0.3% higher to 39,821.28, while South Korea’s Kospi added 0.6% to 3,133.74 as Tokyo and Seoul work on a trade deal with the U.S. before higher tariffs announced by Washington take effect on Aug. 1.
“Sectoral carve-outs remain the thorniest terrain,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management wrote in a commentary, adding that Korea and Japan are likely seeking relief for their car and steel exports. “But Washington is unlikely to bend,” he warned.
Meanwhile, Chinese markets were lower. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 1.1% to 23,892.32, while the Shanghai Composite index e