TOKYO — Global shares traded mixed Wednesday following a drop on Wall Street, as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said stock prices were “fairly highly valued.”
France’s CAC 40 slipped nearly 0.2% in early trading to 7,857.54, while the German DAX dipped nearly 0.3% to 23,589.16. Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 0.2% to 9,209.94. U.S. shares were set to drift higher with Dow futures inching up less than 0.1% at 46,644.00. S&P 500 futures rose 0.2% to 6,725.50.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 recouped morning losses to finish 0.3% higher at 45,630.31. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.9% to 8,764.50. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.4% to 3,472.14. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.4% to 26,518.65, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.8% to 3,853.64.
U.S. stocks took a pause from their relentless rally, in the first pullback for the indexes after the trio set all-time highs in each of the last three days. Powell said Tuesday that the Fed is stuck in an unusual position because worries about the job market are rising at the same time that inflation has stubbornly remained above its 2% target.
They were his first public remarks since the Fed cut its main interest rate last week for the first time this year. Analysts said his comments reiterated his stance that there is no risk-free path.
“Essentially the Fed Chairman confirmed what we already knew, which is that the central bank remains somewhat ‘between a rock and a hard place’ when it comes to managing the risks of rising inflation and falling employment,” said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade.
Fed officials have penciled in more cuts to rates through the end of this year and into next, but they are remaining wary because lower rates can also give inflation more fuel.
An update Friday will show how much prices are rising for U.S. households based on the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation, and economists expect it to show a slight acceleration for last month.
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude lost 12 cents to $63.29 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 9 cents to $67.54 a barrel.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar rose to 148.15 Japanese yen from 147.56 yen. The euro cost $1.1777, down from $1.1818.
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Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama
