Global Shares Lower Friday

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Global shares fell back Friday on worries over trade tensions and tech outlook after a major supplier to Apple forecast continued weak demand for mobile devices. A warning by the head of the IMF over the potential for trade tensions to harm global growth also weighed on sentiment.

KEEPING SCORE: European shares opened mixed with Britain's FTSE 100 up 0.4 percent to 7,355.30 and Germany's DAX down 0.1 percent to 12,555.26. France's CAC 40 edged up 0.1 percent to 5,394.76. Futures indicated a weak start on Wall Street. S&P futures lost 0.2 percent and Dow futures fell 0.3 percent.

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ASIA'S DAY: Asian stocks finished lower. Japan's Nikkei 225 finished 0.1 percent lower at 22,162.24, shedding early gains. South Korea's Kospi lost 0.4 percent to 2,476.33 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 0.9 percent to 30,418.33. The Shanghai Composite Index slumped 1.5 percent to 3,071.54. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 retreated 0.2 percent to 5,868.80. Stocks in Taiwan, Singapore and Indonesia also declined.

APPLE SUPPLIERS: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. plunged 6.3 percent in Taiwan after the key Asian Apple supplier gave a lower-than-expected revenue forecast for the second quarter of $7.8 billion-$7.9 billion. The company predicted demand in the mobile sector would remain weak. Other Apple suppliers also traded lower. South Korea's LG Display Co. lost 1.2 percent and Samsung Electronics Co., tumbled 2.2 percent.

ANALYST'S TAKE: Weak guidance from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., a major supplier to Apple, brewed concerns of weak iPhone demand, dragging technology shares lower, Jingyi Pan, a market strategist at IG in Singapore, said in a commentary. "The corresponding impact would certainly be watched into the Asian session today with the supply chain sprawled across the region."

TRADE: The head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, is urging countries to work out their differences over trade and take advantage of the healthy world economy to reduce debt before the next downturn comes. Speaking as the IMF and World Bank began their spring meeting, Lagarde warned against complacency: "More needs to be done to sustain this upswing and foster long-term growth," she said.

OIL: Benchmark U.S. crude added 1 cent to $68.34 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract lost 14 cents to finish at $68.33 per barrel on Thursday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, rose 6 cents to $73.84 per barrel in London. On Thursday, it rose 30 cents to close at $73.78 per barrel in London.

CURRENCIES: The dollar rose to 107.68 yen from 107.38 yen. The euro fell to $1.2296 from $1.2345.

(BE)

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