World shares were mostly higher on Monday 26 October 2026, recovering ground after declines on Wall Street, as oil prices eased from last week's highs and investors braced for a week of major company earnings and central bank decisions. In early European trading, Germany's DAX rose 0.7% to 25,363.59, the CAC 40 in Paris gained 0.9% to 7,848.62, and Britain's FTSE 100 added 0.5% to 10,742.88.

Futures pointed to a steadier US open, with the future for the S&P 500 up 0.2% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average future up 0.4%. That followed a weaker Friday session in the United States, when the Dow fell 652.82 points, or 1.23%, to 52,215.16, the S&P 500 lost 0.52% to 7,623.68, and the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.21% to 25,955.34.

Asia mixed as chip shares fall

Asian markets started the day with losses, though some benchmarks bounced back. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 slipped 0.8% to 62,189.65 as computer chipmakers came under renewed selling pressure. The Kospi in Seoul dropped 1.5% to 5,469.47.

By contrast, Hong Kong's Hang Seng picked up 0.5% to 23,211.81, the Shanghai Composite rebounded from early losses to gain 0.2% to 3,697.52, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 reversed its losses to advance 0.2% to 8,809.90. Oil extended its fall in European trading, with Brent down 1.89% to $114.51 a barrel and US benchmark crude down 2.16% to $101.04, after Brent had settled at $116.72 on Friday, its highest level since June 2022.

A week of decisions ahead

Investors are watching earnings from influential technology companies this week, including Google's parent Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon, alongside central bank decisions that could move markets. London had been expected to open higher, with futures pointing to a 0.4% rise for the FTSE 100 after Friday's 0.3% fall to 10,690.36.