World shares were mixed on Friday after an official survey showed Chinese factory activity weakening in May on slowing export orders. US futures were little changed and oil prices slipped ahead of an OPEC meeting this weekend. Technology-related shares saw some of the biggest declines after Nvidia, recently a market favorite thanks to Wall Street’s frenzy over artificial-intelligence technology, sank 3.8 per cent on Thursday.

European markets opened modestly higher, with the CAC 40 in Paris up 0.1 per cent at 7,986.65. The FTSE 100 gained 0.4 per cent to 8,259.68, while Germany’s DAX was almost flat at 18,500.20.