- Buried Nazi past haunts Athens on liberation anniversary
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- Nobel prize a timely reminder, Hiroshima locals say
- China offers $325 bn in fiscal stimulus for ailing economy
- Small Quebec company dominates one part of NHL hockey: jerseys
- Boeing to cut 10% of workforce as it sees big Q3 loss
- Want to film in Paris? No sexism allowed
- US, European markets rise as investors weigh rates, earnings
- In Colombia, children trade plastic waste for school supplies
- JPMorgan Chase profits top estimates, bank sees 'resilient' US economy
- Little progress at key meet ahead of COP29 climate summit
- 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show
- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Thunberg leads pro-Palestinian, climate protest in Milan
- Stock markets diverge before China weekend briefing
- EU questions shopping app Temu over illegal products risk
- Han Kang's books sell out in South Korea after Nobel win
- Shanghai markets sink ahead of briefing on mixed day for Asia
- 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
Markets sputter as recession talk builds
Global markets wavered on Thursday on the eve of a long Easter holiday and key US jobs data that could provide clues about whether the economy is heading towards recession.
Wall Street opened lower while European markets were higher in afternoon deals and Asian indices diverged.
"Growing recessionary concerns cast a pall over markets," said analyst Richard Hunter at trading firm Interactive investor.
"A number of US releases suggested that the economy is beginning to wilt under the pressure of the Federal Reserve's aggressive (interest rate) hiking policy, with attention now turning to the scale of a recession, rather than whether one will happen."
Focus now turns to the release of key US non-farm payroll figures on Friday, which will provide the latest snapshot of the world's biggest economy.
The data could be crucial to determine the Fed's next interest rate decision.
But all three major European markets and Hong Kong will be shut on Friday and Monday for a four-day Easter holiday weekend.
Wall Street will be closed on Friday but open on Monday, with Tokyo, Shanghai and Shenzhen working on both days.
"The closure... on Friday means that equity traders will be unable to react to the release until next week which, coupled with the long weekend, has seen some traders squaring positions and being unwilling to open new ones given the extended break," Hunter added.
After a few weeks of gains fuelled by hopes the Fed would soon take its foot off the pedal in tightening monetary policy, data this week has fanned talk that its year-long hiking campaign may have gone too far.
"Recent data from the US has raised the likelihood of a recession in the world's largest economy," said Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at City Index and Forex.com.
On Wednesday, a report from the Institute for Supply Management showed the US services sector grew less than forecast last month, while another pointed to private employers slowing their hiring pace in March.
The readings came a day after news that job openings had fallen to their lowest level since May 2021.
While traders have long hoped for a tightening of the labour market and an economic slowdown that would allow the Fed to stop lifting rates, there is now a rising concern of a deep recession.
Adding to the unease is ongoing uncertainty about the banking sector after last month's turmoil that saw three US regional banks go under and Credit Suisse taken over.
The upheaval was largely blamed on the sharp pace of rate hikes over the past year.
- Key figures around 1345 GMT -
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.3 percent at 33,374.06 points
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.9 percent at 7,316.70
Paris - CAC 40: FLAT at 7,316.70
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.2 percent at 15,547.33
EURO STOXX 50: FLAT at 4,297.69
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.2 percent at 27,472.63 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.3 percent at 20,331.20 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: FLAT at 3,312.63 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0892 from $1.0904 on Wednesday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2422 from $1.2462
Euro/pound: UP at 87.69 pence at 87.50 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 131.69 yen from 131.32 yen
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 0.5 percent at $84.57 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.6 percent at $80.12 per barrel
burs-rfj-lth/ach
H.Cho--CPN