US futures are flat and world shares mixed after a retreat on Wall St
[February 04, 2026] By
CHAN HO-HIM
HONG KONG (AP) — European shares were mixed Wednesday, while most
benchmarks in Asia advanced despite a retreat on Wall Street on selling
of technology stocks.
The future for the S&P 500 fell 0.1%, while that for the Dow Jones
Industrial Average rose 0.1%.
In Europe, France’s CAC 40 gained 0.5% in early trading to 8,219.78,
while Germany's DAX slipped 0.5% to 24,668.93. Britain’s FTSE 100 gained
0.6% to 10,373.29.
In Asian trading, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 dropped 0.8% to 54,293.36, falling
back from a record high set Tuesday. Shares of chipmaker Tokyo Electron
fell 2.1%, while testing equipment maker Advantest also lost 2.1%.
SoftBank Group shed 2.2%.
Shares of Nintendo plunged 11%, even as the Japanese video-game maker
posted strong profits on Tuesday, as investors and analysts expressed
concern about whether sales momentum can be maintained for the Switch 2
game console that was rolled out last year.
South Korea’s Kospi gained 1.6% to 5,371.10. Samsung Electronics rose
nearly 1%, while chipmaker SK Hynix dropped 0.8%.
The index has been setting records nearly daily.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng edged less than 0.1% higher to 26,847.32. The
Shanghai Composite index gained 0.9% to 4,102.20.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 closed 0.8% higher at 8,927.80.
Taiwan’s Taiex gained 0.3%, while India's Sensex edged up more than
0.2%.
Gold and silver prices extended gains as investors continued to shift
funds into safe haven assets given uncertainties over geopolitical
crises and U.S. trade policies.
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Specialist Anthony Matesic works at his post on the floor of the New
York Stock Exchange, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
 Gold rose 3.1%, while the price of
silver jumped 6.9%. They have bounced back after tumbling in recent
days.
“After plunging from record highs amid elevated volatility, precious
metals attracted renewed buying interest,” ING Bank analysts Warren
Patterson and Ewa Manthey wrote in a note.
“Safe haven demand is among factors that will remain supportive of
gold prices over the medium term," they said.
On Tuesday, the S&P 500 dropped 0.8% and the Dow fell 0.3%. The
Nasdaq composite shed 1.4%.
Nvidia, one of the world’s most valuable companies, fell 2.8%.
Shares of Microsoft fell 2.9%. Investors have been rotating in and
out of technology-related stocks on concerns over whether their
shares were being overvalued and if their heavy spending on
artificial intelligence investments will pay off.
In other dealings early Wednesday, U.S. benchmark crude oil lost 1
cent to $63.20 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard,
gave up 7 cents to $67.26 per barrel.
The U.S. dollar rose to 156.58 Japanese yen from 155.77 yen. The
euro was unchanged at $1.1818.
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