Global Shares Mixed Tuesday

TOKYO (AP) -- Global share indexes are mixed after the prolonged rally on Wall Street took a breather overnight. European shares were mostly lower in early trading, amid jitters over the fallout from the recent vote in Catalonia for independence from Spain. Asian shares markets were upbeat, as Japan's Nikkei 225 index marked its highest close since 1996.

KEEPING SCORE: Germany's DAX slipped 0.2 percent to 12,953.37 and the CAC 40 of France was down 0.1 percent at 5,362.15. Britain's FTSE 100 added 0.2 percent to 7,518.97. Dow futures rose 0.1 percent to 22,735.00 while S&P 500 futures were up 0.04 percent to 2,544.90, pointing to early gains in New York.

CATALAN SITUATION: Concern was mounting as Catalans awaited a Tuesday evening appearance by their regional leader in parliament. Expectations were divided between those hoping for a new republic and others opposed to such a move or fearing a backlash from the Spanish central authorities. Speaking ahead of a meeting of European economy and finance ministers in Luxembourg, Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos accused the regional government of being "radical" and "irresponsible."

ASIA'S DAY: Asian markets meandered higher during the day, while Japan's Nikkei 225 index gained 0.6 percent to 20,823.51, its highest close in over 21 years. South Korea's Kospi jumped 1.7 percent to 2,435.52 after a weeklong holiday. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong climbed 0.6 percent to 28,490.83 while Australia's S&P ASX 200 was almost unchanged at 5,738.10. The Shanghai Composite index rose 0.3 percent to 3,382.99. India's Sensex gained 0.4 percent to 31,959.44, while shares in Southeast Asia were mixed.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude added 31 cents to $49.89 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It rose 29 cents to $49.58 a barrel on Monday as Tropical Storm Nate moved away from the Gulf Coast, where much of U.S. crude is drilled and processed. Brent crude, used to price international oils, gained 33 cents to $56.10 per barrel.

CURRENCIES: The dollar weakened to 112.41 yen from 112.67 yen. The euro rose to $1.1783 from $1.1741.

(BE)