Global shares mixed after U.S. break, investors eye Fed notes

Yuri Kageyama, The Associated Press</span>
Published Tuesday, February 20, 2018 12:17AM EST
Last Updated Tuesday, February 20, 2018 8:34AM EST

TOKYO -- Global stocks were mixed Tuesday after a U.S. holiday, with investors awaiting the release later in the day of minutes from the latest meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve.

KEEPING SCORE: France's CAC 40 gained 0.1 per cent to 5,261, while Germany's DAX was up 0.1 per cent to 12,401. Britain's FTSE 100 slipped 0.2 per cent to 7,232. U.S. shares were set to drift lower, with Dow and S&P 500 futures down 0.7 per cent.

CENTRAL BANKS: Minutes are expected later Tuesday from the latest Federal Reserve meeting. "The Fed's sequence of interest rate normalization should be the markets' key focus this week and the primary drivers of near-term volatility," says Stephen Innes, head of trading at OANDA.

CORPORATE DEAL: Albertsons Companies is offering either a share of its stock and $1.83 in cash or slightly more than a share for every 10 shares of Rite Aid. A deal value was not disclosed Tuesday by the companies. Shares of Rite Aid, which have shed more than half their value over the past year, jumped 40 cents, or 18.8 per cent, in premarket trading after the deal was announced.

ASIA'S DAY: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 1.0 per cent to finish at 21,925.10. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was virtually unchanged, inching down to 5,940.90. South Korea's Kospi lost 1.1 per cent to 2,415.12. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.8 per cent at 30,873.63. Shares were mixed in Southeast Asia, while markets in mainland China were still closed for lunar new year holidays.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude added 33 cents to $62.01 per barrel. Brent crude, used to price international oils, was down 58 cents at $65.09 a barrel.

CURRENCIES: The euro slipped to $1.2343 from $1.2408. The dollar rose to 107.14 yen from 106.57 yen.

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