Global shares mixed ahead of Fed policy statements

Global shares are mixed, with many investors staying on the sidelines ahead of an update on how aggressively the Federal Reserve will tackle inflation

TOKYO -- Global shares were mixed on Wednesday, with many investors staying on the sidelines ahead of an update on how aggressively the Federal Reserve will tackle inflation.

France's CAC 40 added nearly 1.0% in early trading to 6,903.90, while Germany's DAX gained 1.2% to 15,309.64. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 1.2% to 7,461.86. The future for the Dow industrials climbed 0.3% to 34,287.00. The S&P 500 future was 0.4% higher at 4,367.50.

Stocks have gyrated this week as markets focused on whether the U.S. central bank will clarify just how fast it plans to tighten credit and potentially slow the economy. The Fed's two-day meeting wraps up on Wednesday.

At the same time, tensions over the Russia and Ukraine tensions continue to grab attention.