World markets mixed

Global stocks were mixed Wednesday amid optimism about a possible Chinese recovery and concern over a possible U.S. attack on Syria, AP reported. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index, the regional heavyweight, shed early gains to flatten out at 14,425.07 points while China's benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.2 percent to 2,241.27. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.2 percent to 22,937.14 and South Korea's Kospi rose 0.5 percent to 2,003.85. In Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.1 percent to 6,575.96 in early trading. Germany's DAX added 0.3 percent to 8,468.15 while France's CAC-40 shed 0.2 percent to 4,107.38. Traders were encouraged by signs China, an important market for its Asian neighbors, is recovering from its deepest economic slump since the 2008 global crisis. Data on Tuesday showed Chinese auto sales, factory output and investment all improved in August. Sydney's S&P ASX 200 gained 0.6 percent to 5,234.40 and India's Sensex shed 0.3 percent to 19,937.19. Benchmarks in Singapore and Indonesia fell while those in New Zealand and the Philippines rose. In the United States, the Dow Jones Industrial average future gained 0.1 percent while the Standard & Poor's 500 was flat in electronic trading on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. In currency markets, the dollar fell to 100.22 yen from 100.39 yen late Tuesday. The euro rose to $1.3272 from $1.3265. Investors also are looking ahead to next week's meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve. The central bank is widely expected to announce plans to start phasing out its support program for the U.S. economy.