Shares are mostly lower in Europe and Asia in narrow trading after they barely budged again on Wall Street following a mixed batch of earnings reports from big U.S. companies. Shares edged higher in Tokyo and Sydney but fell in other regional markets. U.S. futures and oil prices also declined. Japan reported that its trade deficit narrowed in March as exports rose more than expected, helped by a nearly 40% increase in the value of vehicle exports. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 was virtually unchanged, the Dow slipped and the Nasdaq gained less than 0.1%. Investors are cautiously watching for further earnings reports and economic indicators. Most companies have been beating pessimistic forecasts by analysts.
