World Shares Mostly Lower Thursday     01/08 04:48

   World shares were mostly lower and U.S. futures also declined on Thursday as 
the new year's rally on Wall Street faded.

   HONG KONG (AP) -- World shares were mostly lower and U.S. futures also 
declined on Thursday as the new year's rally on Wall Street faded.

   In Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.3% to 10,015.45 in early trading, while 
the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.2% to 8,217.55. Germany's DAX dropped 0.1% to 
25,097.16.

   The futures for the S&P 500 declined more than 0.2%, and the Dow Jones 
Industrial Average futures dropped 0.3%.

   Tokyo's Nikkei 225 dropped 1.6% on Thursday to 51,117.26, with technology 
stocks among those leading the decline. SoftBank, which focuses on tech 
investments, dropped 7.6%, while semiconductor equipment maker Tokyo Electron 
dipped 4%.

   Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng lost 1.2% to 26,149.31, although shares of 
OpenAI's Chinese rival Zhipu rose as much as around 15% above their offer price 
in the company's trading debut.

   The Shanghai Composite index fell nearly 0.1% to 4,082.98.

   South Korea's Kospi, which reached record high levels this week, mostly 
flatlined Thursday, adding less than 0.1% to 4,552.37.

   In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 added 0.3% to 8,720.80, while Taiwan's Taiex 
slid more than 0.2%.

   Wall Street's optimism for the start of the year faded Wednesday, in part 
after some stocks were hit by fresh comments from President Donald Trump that 
could bar large investors from buying single-family homes.

   The S&P 500 fell 0.3% from an all-time high to 6,920.93. The Dow Jones 
Industrial Average dropped 0.9% to 48,996.08. The Nasdaq composite added 0.2% 
to 23,584.27.

   Trump said on his social media network Wednesday that he would move to block 
large institutional investors from buying single-family homes -- in an attempt 
to address the country's housing affordability issue. Homebuilders fell 
sharply. D.R. Horton shed 3.6% and PulteGroup dropped 3.2%.

   Warner Bros. Discovery on Wednesday rejected a revised buyout bid from 
Paramount, as it told its shareholders to stick with Netflix's offer. Warner 
Bros. Discovery rose 0.4%, Netflix added 0.1% while Paramount Skydance fell 1%.

   Oil prices rose on Thursday after the U.S. seized two oil tankers as Trump's 
administration sought to assert control over Venezuelan oil. That also followed 
Trump's earlier remarks that Venezuela would provide 30 million to 50 million 
barrels of oil to the U.S.

   Benchmark U.S. crude rose 0.2% to $56.22 per barrel. Brent crude rose 0.3% 
to $60.22 per barrel.

   Oil prices have been volatile this week, as markets assess risks after the 
U.S. ousted Nicols Maduro as Venezuela's president. Venezuela has some of the 
world's largest oil reserves.

   In bond markets, U.S. Treasury yields swung following mixed reports on the 
U.S. economy. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.14% from 4.18%, and 
the two-year yield held at 3.46%.

   One report reflected a more substantial pick up in U.S. services sector 
activity in December than what economists expected. But separate reports on the 
U.S. job market offered a mixed view. One suggested that businesses and 
government agencies posted far fewer job openings in November compared with the 
month before. Another report said businesses added 41,000 jobs in December.

   The U.S. Labor Department is expected to release its monthly job report for 
December on Friday, which could offer a more comprehensive look.

   In other dealings early Thursday, the dollar fell to 156.53 yen, down from 
156.77 yen.

   The euro rose to $1.1682 from $1.1677.