World stocks mixed as China stimulus hopes fade

U.S. futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street. Dow futures were down 30 points, or 0.4 percent, at 6,800 and S&P500 futures were off 6.1, or 0.9 percent, at 702.30.

Overnight, Wall Street snapped a five-day losing streak, buoyed by China stimulus hopes as well as details of a Washington program to help as many as 9 million borrowers stay in their homes through refinanced mortgages or loans.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 149.82, or 2.2 percent, to 6,875.84. Broader indexes also rose. The Standard & Poor's 500 index added 16.54, or 2.4 percent, to 712.87.

Investors in Asia and beyond are likely to pay close attention to Friday's release of U.S. employment figures, a key baramoter of the world's largest economy and the health of consumers whose spending is critical to Asia's export-driven economies.

In Japan, the sinking yen helped some carmakers and technology companies reliant on overseas demand. Mazda Motor Corp. shot up 10.5 percent, while Nissan Motor Co. rose 6.1 percent. Nikon Corp. finished up 4.6 percent.

The rise in resource prices lifted some commodities plays, including Australian mining giant BHP Billiton Ltd., up 4.4 percent.