World Shares Mixed Monday              08/17 04:55

   Shares were mixed in Europe and Asia on Monday after U.S. stocks edged back 
from their all-time high following a weaker than expected report on the U.S. 
economy.

   BANGKOK (AP) -- Shares were mixed in Europe and Asia on Monday after U.S. 
stocks edged back from their all-time high following a weaker than expected 
report on the U.S. economy.

   Oil prices also were mixed.

   In early European trading, Germany's DAX was nearly unchanged at 26,438.04, 
while the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.1% to 8,628.32.

   Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.2% to 10,766.46.

   The future for the S&P 500 edged 0.1% higher, while that for the Dow Jones 
Industrial Average slipped 0.2%.

   Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index gained 0.7% to 69,220.25 after the Japanese 
government reported the economy grew slightly faster than forecast in the 
April-June quarter, expanding at a 1.1% annual pace even as private spending 
and investment stayed flat and export growth slowed. In quarterly terms, the 
economy grew 0.3% in the second quarter of the year.

   In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng picked up 1.3% to 25,453.23, while the Shanghai 
Composite index rose 1.4% to 3,982.65.

   Markets in South Korea were closed for a holiday.

   In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.5% to 9,073.20.

   Taiwan's Taiex gained 0.1%, while the Sensex in India fell 0.3%.

   On Friday, The S&P 500 fell 0.2% following a report that showed shoppers 
spent less at U.S. retailers last month. Such data could help the Federal 
Reserve keep interest rates low, which is positive for investors. But it also 
suggests growth may be slowing at a time when inflation is still high.

   The Fed has no good tool to fix both a stagnating economy and high inflation 
at the same time, which is why what's called "stagflation" is seen as a 
worst-case scenario.

   The Dow industrials dipped 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite shed 0.3%.

   Wall Street will get financial updates from some of the nation's biggest 
retailers this week.

   Home Depot reports its latest results on Tuesday, followed by Target and 
Lowes on Wednesday and then Walmart on Thursday. The results will help give 
investors a more detailed picture of how businesses and consumers are handling 
stubbornly high inflation.

   Wall Street and economists will get more details about the Federal Reserve's 
interest rate policy when the central bank releases minutes from the July 
meeting on Wednesday.

   In other dealings early Monday, Brent crude, the international standard, 
rose 0.4% to $88.84 per barrel, while U.S. benchmark crude slipped 0.2% to 
$82.20 per barrel.

   With prospects for a deal toward ending the war with Iran unclear, the 
stability of oil supplies remains uncertain with the Strait of Hormuz nearly 
closed, blocking a vital route for oil and gas tankers from the Middle East.

   The U.S. dollar fell to 159.13 Japanese yen from 159.32 yen. The euro rose 
to $1.1601 from $1.1588.