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Global shares mixed following downbeat China trade data

TOKYO (AP) - Global shares are mixed after China reported disappointing trade data for July, with little else to drive trading sentiment.

KEEPING SCORE: France's CAC 40 was flat at 5,209.20, while Germany's DAX added less than 0.1 percent to 12,261.92. Britain's FTSE 100 fell less than 0.1 percent to 7,521.44. U.S. shares were also set to meander, with Dow futures unchanged at 22,060.00, and S&P futures inching down less than 0.1 percent at 2,476.20.

ASIA'S DAY: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.3 percent to finish at 19,996.01, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.5 percent to 5,743.80. South Korea's Kospi fell 0.2 percent to 2,394.73. Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.6 percent to 27,854.91, while the Shanghai Composite inched up nearly 0.1 percent, to 3,281.87. India's Sensex tumbled 0.7 percent to 32,035.02 and shares in Southeast Asia were mixed.

CHINA TRADE: China's trade growth weakened in July in an ominous sign for its growth and for global demand. Customs data showed growth in exports slowed to 7.2 percent from June's 11.3 percent. Imports rose 11 percent, down from the previous month's 17.2 percent. Forecasters have warned Chinese economic growth is likely to slow this year, dampening demand for foreign goods, as controls imposed on bank lending to slow a rise in debt take hold.

THE QUOTE: "The upshot is that, despite the uptick at the end of Q2, trade growth now appears to be on a downward trend. In particular, the sharp decline in import growth since the start of the year suggests that domestic demand is softening," Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital Economics said in a commentary.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude added 16 cents to $49.55 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It fell 19 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $49.39 per barrel Monday in New York. Brent crude, the international standard, gained 18 cents to $52.55 a barrel.

CURRENCIES: The U.S. dollar fell to 110.58 yen from 110.74 yen late Monday in Asia. The euro rose to $1.1809 from $1.1792.

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Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Her work can be found at https://www.apnews.com/search/yuri%20kageyama

A man passes an electronic stock board outside a securities firm in Tokyo Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017. Shares fell Tuesday in Asia, rapidly erasing initial gains that followed record highs on Wall Street after China reported disappointing trade data for July. (AP Photo/Sherry Zheng) The Associated Press
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