World markets, if not closed, are mostly lower

LONDON - Global stocks were closing out the year on a subdued note Thursday, while indexes in Germany, Japan and South Korea were already shut for the New Year holiday.

In Europe around 8 a.m. Eastern, France's CAC-40 shed 0.7 percent to 4,644, and Britain's FTSE 100 was down 0.5 percent at 6,242. Germany's main stock market, which remained closed for the holiday, on Wednesday closed 1.1 percent lower to leave it up 9.6 percent for the year. Wall Street was poised to open slightly, with the futures for the Dow Jones industrial average 0.1 percent lower and the Standard & Poor's 500 down 0.2 percent.

The Shanghai Composite Index retreated 0.9 percent to 3,539.18 points, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.15 percent to 21,914.40. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.5 percent to 5,295.90, and India's Sensex gained 0.1 percent to 25,980.85. Benchmarks in New Zealand and Thailand also advanced. Singapore declined.

"On the eve of the new year, the fact is that lingering and familiar risks are not purged at the stroke of midnight," Mizuho Bank said in a report. It cited fluctuating oil prices and uncertainty about the impact of monetary policy changes in the U.S., Europe and Japan. "Instead, the risk landscape is a continuum that warrants caution."

Benchmark U.S. crude shed another 31 cents to $36.28 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract plunged $1.27 on Wednesday to close at $36.60. Brent crude, used to price international oils, added 24 cents to $37.11 in London. It slid $1.33 in the previous session to $36.46.

The dollar rose to 120.57 yen from Wednesday's 120.49, while the euro fell to $1.0930 from $1.0936.