MANILA, Philippines — World shares were mixed on Friday after Wall Street fell to a fifth straight loss, hurt by losses for Walmart and worries over coming cuts to interest rates.
Traders remain cautious, looking for cues about U.S. monetary policy from a meeting of central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell is due to speak on Friday
The future for the S&P 500 added less than 0.1%, while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%.
In early European trading, Germany’s DAX added less than 0.1% to 24,295.57, while Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 0.1% to 9,302.00. In Paris, the CAC 40 added 0.1% to 7,946.47.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.1% to 42,633.29 after Japan’s core inflation rate slowed to 3.1% in July, from 3.3% in June.
ING Economics, in a commentary, said the rate was broadly in line with market consensus. Inflation staying above 3% raises chances of a rate hike as soon as October, it said.
In Chinese markets, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 0.8% to 25,312.62. The Shanghai composite index climbed 1.5% to 3,825.76.
South Korea’s Kospi added 0.9% to 3,168.73. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.6% to 8,967.40 as traders sold to lock in gains after the benchmark surged to record highs in recent trading sessions.
Taiwan’s TAIEX lost 0.8% and India’s BSE Sensex edged 0.6% lower.
Expectations for a rate cut by the Fed have been dialed back as central bank officials stress concerns over inflation, Mizuho Bank said in a commentary.
“The upshot is that the sands are arguably shifting, but Jackson Hole may not be wher