Global shares mixed after US break, investors eye Fed notes

TOKYO (AP) -- Global stocks were mixed Tuesday after a U.S. holiday, with investors awaiting the release later in the day of minutes from the latest meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve.

KEEPING SCORE: France's CAC 40 gained 0.1 percent to 5,261, while Germany's DAX was up 0.1 percent to 12,401. Britain's FTSE 100 slipped 0.2 percent to 7,232. U.S. shares were set to drift lower, with Dow and S&P 500 futures down 0.7 percent.

CENTRAL BANKS: Minutes are expected later Tuesday from the latest Federal Reserve meeting. "The Fed's sequence of interest rate normalization should be the markets' key focus this week and the primary drivers of near-term volatility," says Stephen Innes, head of trading at OANDA.

CORPORATE DEAL: Albertsons Companies is offering either a share of its stock and $1.83 in cash or slightly more than a share for every 10 shares of Rite Aid. A deal value was not disclosed Tuesday by the companies. Shares of Rite Aid, which have shed more than half their value over the past year, jumped 40 cents, or 18.8 percent, in premarket trading after the deal was announced.

ASIA'S DAY: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 1.0 percent to finish at 21,925.10. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was virtually unchanged, inching down to 5,940.90. South Korea's Kospi lost 1.1 percent to 2,415.12. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.8 percent at 30,873.63. Shares were mixed in Southeast Asia, while markets in mainland China were still closed for lunar new year holidays.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude added 33 cents to $62.01 per barrel. Brent crude, used to price international oils, was down 58 cents at $65.09 a barrel.

CURRENCIES: The euro slipped to $1.2343 from $1.2408. The dollar rose to 107.14 yen from 106.57 yen.

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