Stock market today: Global shares rally, encouraged by Wall Street's gains

Global shares are mostly higher, encouraged by gains on Wall Street led by a handful of influential Big Tech companies. Benchmarks rose in early Thursday trading in France, Germany and Britain, while U.S. futures were also drifting higher. In Asia, shares rose in Tokyo, Sydney, Seoul and Hong Kong. Japanese exporter shares like Toyota and Nintendo jumped on the back of a relatively cheap yen. The U.S. dollar was trading at nearly 143 yen. Oil prices rose. The latest data on U.S. inflation has the market expecting the Federal Reserve to cut its main interest rate at next week's meeting.