Global Shares Advance Tuesday          02/17 04:49

   European shares advanced Tuesday after a quiet day in Asia, where most 
markets were closed for Lunar New Year holidays.

   TOKYO (AP) -- European shares advanced Tuesday after a quiet day in Asia, 
where most markets were closed for Lunar New Year holidays.

   France's CAC 40 inched up 0.1% to 8,318.51, while Germany's DAX gained 0.2% 
to 24,845.47. Britain's FTSE 100 picked up 0.4% to 10,481.00.

   The future for the S&P 500 was down 0.3% while that for the Dow Jones 
Industrial Average edged 0.1% lower.

   Weak economic data for Japan appeared to be clouding sentiment in Tokyo, and 
a 5.1% decline for tech giant SoftBank Group also pulled shares lower. The 
decline follows a big rally after a resounding win for Prime Minister Sanae 
Takaichi's ruling party in a Feb. 8 general election.

   The Nikkei 225 slipped 0.4% to finish at 56,566.49.

   Traders likely were locking in profits from the recent gains that took the 
Nikkei to record levels. Polls show Takaichi's popularity is slowly slipping, 
as hopes for economic revival from her plans to increase government spending 
and cut taxes subside.

   In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.2% to 8,958.90, while India's Sensex 
edged 0.2% higher. In Thailand, the SET added 1.4%.

   Trading in the U.S. was closed for Presidents Day on Monday.

   On Friday, the S&P 500 edged up less than 0.1% a day after one of its worst 
losses since Thanksgiving. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%, and the 
Nasdaq composite slipped 0.2%.

   Share prices have been waxing and waning with fluctuations in confidence 
over massive investments in AI. Investors are also focused on inflation and how 
price pressures might affect interest rates. Also in the spotlight for later in 
the day are jobs data from Britain.

   In other dealings early Tuesday, benchmark U.S. crude rose 26 cents to 
$63.15 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, lost 65 cents to 
$68.00 a barrel.

   The U.S. dollar slipped to 152.90 Japanese yen from 153.51 yen. The euro 
cost $1.1850 down from $1.1852.

   The price of gold fell 2% and silver was down 4.4%. Bitcoin fell 01.3% to 
about $68,000.