World shares track Wall Street gains as gold edges lower

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World shares were mostly higher Tuesday after U.S. stock indexes ticked upward, buoyed by strong profit reports for some companies.

In Germany, the DAX slipped 0.2% to 24,892.75, while the CAC 40 in Paris was unchanged at 8,129.45. Britain's FTSE 100 picked up 0.2% to 10,171.02.

The future for the S&P 500 gained 0.2% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.1% lower.

In Asian trading, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 rose 0.9% to 53,333.54.

India's Sensex edged 0.1% lower after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country had reached agreement on a free trade deal with the European Union.

The accord, which touches a whopping 2 billion people, was concluded after nearly two decades of negotiations. It's one of the biggest bilateral engagements on commerce. The timing comes as Washington targets both India and the EU with steep import tariffs.

The Kospi in South Korea surged 2.7% to 5,084.85, even after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would raise tariffs on South Korean goods because the country’s national assembly has yet to approve a trade framework announced last year.

South Korea’s presidential office responded after a meeting of top officials that it will convey its commitment to implementing last year’s deal to the U.S.

The presidential office said that South Korea’s Industry Minister Kim Jung-Kwan will travel to the U.S. for talks with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, while Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo will travel separately to meet with Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Kim was on a visit to Canada.

Trump said on social media Monday that import taxes would be raised on autos, lumber and pharmaceutical drugs from South Korea with the rate on other goods going from 15% to 25%.

Gains for Korean tech-related shares like Samsung Electronics, which rose 4.9% and chip maker SK Hynix, which soared 8.7%, helped offset losses for automakers. Kia Corp. fell 1.1% and Hyundai Motor Co. lost 0.8%.

Chinese markets were mixed. Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced 1.3% to 27,106.83 and the Shanghai Composite index added 0.2% to 4,139.90. But the benchmark for the smaller market in Shenzhen dropped 0.1%.

Taiwan's Taiex was up 0.8%.

Financial markets could face more swings this week.

The Federal Reserve will announce its stance on interest rates on Wednesday, when it is expected to hold steady. It’s been lowering its main interest rate and has indicated more cuts may be on the way in 2026 to help shore up the job market and give the economy a boost.

Inflation remains stubbornly above the Fed’s 2% target and lower rates could worsen it.

Several of Wall Street’s most influential stocks are also set to deliver earnings reports. That includes Meta Platforms, Microsoft and Tesla on Wednesday and Apple on Thursday.

On Monday, the S&P 500 rose 0.5% and the Dow added 0.6%. The Nasdaq composite gained 0.4%.

In other dealings early Tuesday, the price of gold was little changed at $5,080 per ounce. On Monday, it rallied 2.1% and briefly topped $5,100 per ounce for the first time. Silver lost 3%.

Prices for precious metals have been soaring as investors look for safer places to park their money amid threats of tariffs, still-high inflation, political strife and mountains of debt for governments worldwide.

The dollar rose to 154.62 Japanese yen from 154.20 yen, while the euro slipped to $1.1869 from $1.1881.

U.S. benchmark crude oil gave up 28 cents to $60.35 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, shed 33 cents to $64.44 per barrel.