World Shares, US Futures Gain Wednesday02/18 04:51

   Shares in Europe and Asia were higher on Wednesday, with Japan's benchmark 
gaining more than 1% after a quiet finish for U.S. stocks.

   (AP) -- Shares in Europe and Asia were higher on Wednesday, with Japan's 
benchmark gaining more than 1% after a quiet finish for U.S. stocks.

   Germany's DAX rose 0.6% to 25,137.90, while the CAC 40 in Paris edged 0.2% 
higher to 8,379.68. Britain's FTSE 100 added 0.6% to 10,622.73.

   The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 
0.5%.

   Most markets in Asia stayed closed for Lunar New Year holidays.

   In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 added 1% to 57,143.84 as Prime Minister Sanae 
Takaichi was reappointed by the parliament following a landslide victory for 
her ruling Liberal Democrats in a Feb. 8 election.

   Technology companies led the advance, with computer chipmaker Tokyo Electron 
gaining 2.9%.

   Japan reported its exports jumped nearly 17% in January from a year earlier. 
The jump was partly driven by seasonal factors, but the AI boom also boosted 
shipments of computer chips and other components.

   Shares in technology and energy giant SoftBank Group fell 2.8%, extending a 
more than 5% loss on Tuesday, after the administration of U.S. President Donald 
Trump announced that its subsidiary SB Energy will participate in a $33 billion 
natural gas facility, said to be the world's largest, near Portsmouth, Ohio.

   That agreement is part of Japan's commitment of $550 billion in U.S. 
investments as part of a trade deal that raised tariffs on Japanese exports to 
the United States by 15%.

   In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 closed 0.5% higher at 9,007.00, while India's 
Sensex was flat. In Bangkok, the SET advanced 0.6%.

   On Tuesday, U.S. stocks flipped between gains and losses.

   The S&P 500 rose 0.1% and the Dow added 0.1%. The Nasdaq composite gained 
0.1%.

   Paramount Skydance helped lead the market, gaining 4.9% after Warner Bros. 
Discovery said it would allow Paramount a chance to give its "best and final" 
bid to buy the entertainment company. Paramount is trying to top an offer from 
Netflix.

   Warner Bros. Discovery rose 2.7%, and Netflix added 0.2%.

   On the losing end of Wall Street was General Mills, which sank 7% after the 
company behind Cheerios and Pillsbury warned that its customers are feeling 
uneasy.

   Several surveys have recently shown weakening confidence among U.S. 
households as they struggle with inflation that remains higher than anyone 
would like, a lackluster job market and worries about tariffs.

   Drops for some Big Tech stocks were the heaviest weights on the market 
Tuesday, including a 1.2% fall for Alphabet.

   The moves were tentative, though, and Nvidia swung between being one of the 
market's heaviest weights and one of its biggest strengths.

   Stocks of software and other companies have tumbled as investors hunted for 
companies that could be potential losers if AI ends up remaking the world and 
their industries.

   The market has seen a sharp turnaround from last year, when the promise of 
AI helped drive U.S. stock indexes to record after record. Now, companies in 
industries as varied as software and legal services and trucking have seen 
investors suddenly turn against them when worries flare that AI-powered 
competitors could steal their customers.

   The companies spending big on AI are feeling their own pressure, too.

   "So we have a market that simultaneously believes AI will destroy everything 
and, at times, deliver nothing. That tension is why single stocks are being 
whipsawed like penny names even though we are talking about trillion-dollar 
balance sheets," Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.

   A survey of global fund managers by Bank of America found a record 
percentage is saying that companies are "overinvesting." That could mean an 
eventual pullback in spending on chips from Nvidia and other companies.

   In other dealings early Wednesday, U.S. benchmark crude oil added 14 cents 
to $62.47 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, picked up 15 
cents to $67.57 per barrel.

   The U.S. dollar bought 153.73 Japanese yen, up from 153.29 yen. The euro 
slipped to $1.1836 from $1.1854.

   The price of gold rose 0.6%, while the price of silver was up 3%.

   Bitcoin's price was flat at about $68,200.