Global shares were mostly higher in muted trading Wednesday as investors awaited a slew of earnings reports to assess how companies have been affected by US President Donald Trump's tariffs.

France's CAC 40 added 0.2 per cent in early trading to 7,638.46. Germany's DAX edged up 0.2 per cent to 23,902.83. Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.3 per cent to 9,166.47. The future for the S&P 500 was up 0.2 per cent while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.4 per cent.

Among Japanese companies reporting financial results on Wednesday, automaker Honda Motor Co said its profit declined to about half the level of a year earlier despite strong sales in North America. Toyota Motor Corp and electronics and entertainment company Sony Corp report their results later this week.