Global shares fell back on Wednesday, mirroring a sell-off on Wall Street triggered by worries over slowing growth and falling profits.

KEEPING SCORE: France's CAC 40 edged nearly 0.1 percent lower in early trading to 5,440.32, while Germany's DAX slipped nearly 0.8 percent to 12,456.33. Britain's FTSE 100 lost 0.4 percent to 7,392.47. U.S. shares were set to drift lower with Dow and S&P 500 futures both down 0.2 percent.

ASIA'S DAY: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 shed 0.3 percent to finish at 22,215.32. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.1 percent to 30,281.15. The Shanghai Composite index shed nearly 0.4 percent to 3,117.97. South Korea's Kospi lost 0.6 percent to 2,448.81. Australian markets were closed for Anzac Day, a public holiday. Southeast Asian shares were also lower.

THE QUOTE: "U.S. markets were rocked by both bond yields and corporate concerns overnight, seeing only few defensive sectors thriving on the comprehensive S&P 500 index. This could be a trend that carries through to the Asian session," says Jingyi Pan, market strategist at IG in Singapore.

TAKEDA-SHIRE: Shares in Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. tumbled 7 percent to in Tokyo on Wednesday after the company confirmed it had revised its offer for an approximately 50 percent stake in biotech company Shire Plc to 46 billion pounds ($64.2 billion). Shire's board indicated that it would recommend that proposal to its shareholders, Takeda said in a statement. The two companies have until May 8 to reach a final deal, they said.

YIELDS QUESTION: Bond prices slipped again Tuesday. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.99 percent from 2.98 percent. Earlier it peaked at 3 percent for the first time since January 2014. Low interest rates have played an important role in the economic recovery of the last decade, and the yield on the 10-year note is a benchmark for many kinds of interest rates including mortgages. It's been climbing because investors expect higher economic growth and inflation.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude oil edged 7 cents higher to $67.74 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It shed 1.4 percent to $67.70 on Tuesday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, gained 13 cents to $73.99 per barrel.

CURRENCIES: The dollar rose to 109.24 yen from 108.82 yen. The euro rose to $1.2193 from $1.2196.