World Stocks Mostly Higher on Friday   09/17 05:18

   World shares were mostly higher on Friday as investors assessed a 
hodge-podge of economic data.

   (AP) -- World shares were mostly higher on Friday as investors assessed a 
hodge-podge of economic data.

   Benchmarks rose in Frankfurt, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong but fell in Sydney. 
U.S. futures edged higher, while the yield on the 10-year Treasury note was 
steady at 1.33%.

   Oil prices retreated from their surge earlier in the week.

   U.S. shares edged higher in the early going on Thursday after a surprisingly 
good retail sales report for August. That was followed by a disappointing 
report showing that weekly unemployment claims rose more than expected.

   The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average each lost about 0.2%, while 
the tech-heavy Nasdaq managed to eke out a gain of 0.1%.

   Investor concerns over prolonged outbreaks of coronavirus are weighing on 
sentiment as they await the Federal Reserve's next moves.

   "Overall, the mood remains a little downbeat in the markets, with investors 
torn between the 'buy the dip' approach that has fared so well in the past and 
the growing list of economic and market risks that are increasingly evident," 
Craig Erlam of Oanda said in a commentary.

   Germany's DAX gained 0.7% to 15,756.95 while the CAC 40 in Paris surged 0.8% 
to 6,675.56. Britain's FTSE 100 added 0.3% to 7,044.99. The futures for the S&P 
500 and Dow industrials edged 0.1% higher.

   In Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index added 0.6% to 30,500.05.

   In Japan, stocks have been trading near three-decade highs in anticipation 
of a change in leadership after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pulled out of the 
running for head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

   Suga's support ratings had languished amid wide public dissatisfaction with 
his administration's response to the pandemic.

   LDP lawmakers and grassroots members will vote on Sept. 29, with a 
parliamentary election due next month.

   The Hang Seng in Hong Kong rebounded from losses earlier in the week, 
gaining 0.2% to 24,723.57. The Kospi in Seoul edged 0.1% higher to 3,132.76.

   The Shanghai Composite index rose 0.2% to 3,613.97, while the S&P/ASX 200 in 
Sydney declined 0.8% to 7,403.70.

   The U.S. Commerce Department reported that retail sales rose 0.7% last 
month. Economists had expected a 0.85% contraction, reasoning that spending 
would have fallen as the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19 prompts 
consumers to pull back on shopping.

   Markets have been choppy as investors shift money between various sectors 
while parsing data for clues about where the economy is headed and how the 
Federal Reserve will react.

   The central bank will meet next week, and investors will listen closely for 
any comments about when and how much it will taper support for low interest 
rates that have helped fuel gains for stocks throughout the year.

   In other trading, U.S. benchmark crude oil fell 38 cents to $72.23 per 
barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was 
unchanged overnight at $72.61 per barrel.

   Brent crude, the standard for international pricing, shed 32 cents to $75.35 
per barrel.

   The dollar rose to 109.94 Japanese yen from 109.81 yen late Thursday. The 
euro climbed to $1.1773 from $1.1761.