World shares are mixed ahead of Trump's meeting with Zelenskyy

Key Points

• Asian shares closed mostly higher, with Japan's Nikkei 225 gaining 0.9% and the Shanghai Composite up 1.2%, as investors await key meetings in Washington and Jackson Hole.
• U.S. Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell is set to speak at an upcoming economic policy conference, amid growing expectations for interest rate cuts in September.
• UnitedHealth Group's stock surged 12% following Berkshire Hathaway's investment, while Applied Materials faced a significant drop of 14.1% despite exceeding quarterly earnings expectations due to a bleak revenue forecast.
• U.S. economic indicators showed mixed signals, with rising consumer spending but deteriorating consumer sentiment related to inflation concerns.

BANGKOK (AP) — World shares were mixed ahead of U.S. 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% to 24,303.26, while the CAC 40 in Paris dropped 0.5% 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% lower.

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

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

The Shanghai Composite index jumped 1% 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% to 8,959.30.

The Kospi in South Korea declined 1.5% to 3,177.28 on heavy selling of semiconductor makers like Samsung Electronics, whose shares fell 2.2%. SK Hynix lost 3.3% as investors fretted over the possibility of more U.S. 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 labor 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 U.S. economy have undercut those bets somewhat.

One report Friday said shoppers boosted their spending at U.S. 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 U.S. 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%. The Dow industrials edged 0.1% higher, while the Nasdaq composite sank 0.4%.

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

The U.S. dollar rose to 147.37 Japanese yen from 147.18 yen. The euro slipped to $1.1682 from $1.1703.