- Investors, analysts eye bigger China stimulus at Saturday briefing
- Musk unveils robotaxi, pledges it 'before 2027'
- At least 11 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Asian markets mixed after Wall St drop, Shanghai dips before briefing
- Automaker Stellantis says CEO will retire in 2026
- Musk's promised robotaxi unveil delayed
- On US coast, wind power foes embrace 'Save the Whales' argument
- At least 10 dead in Florida after Hurricane Milton spawns tornadoes
- Internet Archive reels from 'catastrophic' cyberattack, data breach
- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Solar storm could impact US hurricane recovery efforts: agency
- Delta eyes Election Day travel pullback as profits climb
- Florida battered by hurricane, floods but spared 'worst-case scenario'
- UK's William and Kate in first joint public engagement since cancer treatment
- Over 200 women in legal talks with Harrods over Fayed abuse claims
- A very stiff breeze: BBC says sorry for 20,000 kph wind forecast
- Musk finally unveiling his long-promised robotaxi
- London's Frieze art fair goes potty for ceramics
- US, Europe stocks fall on US inflation data
- US consumer inflation eases to 2.4% in September
- Hurricane Milton tornadoes kill four in Florida amid rescue efforts
- South Korea's Han Kang wins literature Nobel
- Ikea posts fall in annual sales after lowering prices
- Stock markets diverge, oil gains after China rebounds
- World can't 'waste time' trading climate change blame: COP29 hosts
- South Korean same-sex couples make push for marriage equality
- Mumbai declares day of mourning for Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- 7-Eleven owner restructures to fight takeover
- Sri Lanka recovering faster than expected: World Bank
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as most markets track Wall St record
- Uniqlo owner reports record annual earnings
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as markets track Wall St record
- Indonesia biomass drive threatens key forests: report
- Mumbai mourns Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- China opens $71 bn 'swap facility' to boost markets
- Asian markets track Wall St record as Hong Kong, Shanghai stabilise
- 'Denying my potential': women at Japan's top university call out gender imbalance
- China's central bank says opens up $70.6 bn in liquidity to boost market
- Youth facing unprecedented wave of violence, UN envoy warns
- 'A casino in every kitchen': Brazil's online gambling craze
- Nobel chemistry winner sees engineered proteins solving tough problems
- Discord seen as online home for renegades
- US forecasts severe solar storm starting Thursday
- Ratan Tata: Indian mogul who built a global powerhouse
- One dead as storm Kirk tears through Spain, Portugal, France
- Indian business titan Ratan Tata dead at 86
- Fed minutes highlight divisions over rate cut decision
- Steve McQueen debuts new WWII film at London festival
- Nobel winners hope protein work will spur 'incredible' breakthroughs
Stocks largely gain as rate hike hopes offset muted China outlook
Major stock markets mostly rose Monday, with Paris briefly reaching a fresh record, as traders reacted to indications the Federal Reserve could soon end a policy of hiking interest rates.
The Paris CAC 40 went back above 7,400 points, having breached the level for the first time last month. That came amid a record-high for London's FTSE 100 also in February as investors bet on the eurozone and Britain swerving recession this year.
However, lingering fears about high interest rates aimed at cooling elevated inflation have dampened equities in recent sessions.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is set to discuss monetary policy before the House and Senate committees on Tuesday, proceedings that will be scrutinised by investors seeking rate outlook clues.
That comes ahead of US payroll data on Friday and the Bank of Japan's two-day policy meeting from Thursday, which will be the last for governor Haruhiko Kuroda.
China's outgoing Premier Li Keqiang on Sunday said the country's economy would expand "around five percent" this year, slightly below what analysts had predicted.
The world's second-largest economy grew three percent last year, missing its target of around 5.5 percent under the impact of strict Covid-19 containment policies and a property crisis.
China lifted its pandemic restrictions in December.
"China set itself one of the lowest gross domestic product target in many years, hinting to investors that the big reopening boom may not be as positive for the global economy as hoped," noted Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at Finalto trading group.
"Oil and other industrial commodities slipped on the news, whilst basic resources stocks in London were hit, dragging the FTSE 100 marginally into the red."
Oil prices slid on expectations Chinese demand wouldn't be as strong as forecast, while the dollar largely steadied against main rivals.
Wall Street had posted its strongest session in more than a month on Friday. It came as a slide in US Treasury bond yields fortified beliefs the Fed was nearing the end of its rate-hiking cycle.
- Key figures around 1200 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.6 percent at 7,903.52 points
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.1 percent at 15,589.94
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.1 percent at 7,352.00
EURO STOXX 50: FLAT at 4,296.33
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.2 percent at 20,603.19 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.1 percent at 28,237.78 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3322.03 (close)
New York - Dow: UP 1.2 percent at 33,390.97 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0642 from $1.0635 Friday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.1998 from $1.2046
Euro/pound: UP at 88.68 pence from 88.32 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 136.12 yen from 135.83 yen
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.5 percent at $78.46 per barrel
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 1.5 percent at $84.54 per barrel
Ng.A.Adebayo--CPN