World shares were mostly lower on Thursday as investors awaited developments in the Middle East, causing U.S. stocks to stall. Germany's DAX dropped 0.7% to 19,026.36, while the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.8% to 7,514.49. In contrast, London's FTSE 100 rose 0.2% to 8,307.45.
The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 0.4%. The U.S. dollar strengthened against the Japanese yen due to indications that an interest rate hike was not imminent, benefiting major export manufacturers in Japan.
