Bangkok

World shares were mixed ahead of US President Donald Trump's meeting later Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders.

Markets showed scant reaction to Trump's inconclusive summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. Investors are also watching for cues from an annual meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, of top central bankers later this week.

In early European trading, Germany's DAX lost 0.2 per cent to 24,303.26, while the CAC 40 in Paris dropped 0.5 per cent to 7,881.74. Britain's FTSE 100 was little changed at 9,137.31.

The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 0.1 per cent lower.

During Asia's day, Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 0.8 per cent to 43.714.31.

The Hang Seng in Hong Kong gave up early gains, losing 0.4 per cent to close at 25,176.85.

The Shanghai Composite index jumped 1 per cent to 3,732.44. It's trading near it's highest level in a decade.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 picked up 0.2 per cent to 8,959.30.

The Kospi in South Korea declined 1.5 per cent to 3,177.28 on heavy selling of semiconductor makers like Samsung Electronics, whose shares fell 2.2 per cent. SK Hynix lost 3.3 per cent as investors fretted over the possibility of more US tariffs on computer chips.

Trump's meeting with Zelenskyy will include other European leaders who were not included in the president's talks in Anchorage, Alaska, with Putin. The European allies are seeking to present a united front in safeguarding Ukraine and the continent from any widening aggression from Moscow.

An annual meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, of top central bankers later this week will be watched closely for hints about possible interest rate cuts from Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell. He is due to speak Friday at the economic policy conference.

“While the official theme is labour markets, investors will scrutinize any hint of September policy direction, especially after last week's mixed inflation data,” Ipek Ozkardeskaya of Swissquote said in a commentary, adding that “any progress on Ukraine peace talks could push global equities higher still.”

Expectations have been building that the Fed will cut interest rates at its next meeting in September, though mixed reports on the US economy have undercut those bets somewhat.

One report Friday said shoppers boosted their spending at US retailers last month, while another said manufacturing in New York state unexpectedly grew. A third said industrial production across the country shrank last month, when economists were looking for modest growth.

Yet another report suggested sentiment among US consumers is worsening because of worries about inflation, when economists expected to see a slight improvement.

On Friday, the S&P 500 fell 0.3 per cent. The Dow industrials edged 0.1 per cent higher, while the Nasdaq composite sank 0.4 per cent.

In other dealings early Monday, US benchmark crude oil rose 7 cents to USD 62.87 per barrel, while Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 3 cents to USD 65.88 per barrel.

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The US dollar rose to 147.37 Japanese yen from 147.18 yen. The euro slipped to USD 1.1682 from USD 1.1703.