- Jewish school in Canada hit by gunfire for second time
- With medical report Harris seeks to play health card against Trump
- China-EU EV tariff talks in Brussels end with 'major differences': Beijing
- Buried Nazi past haunts Athens on liberation anniversary
- Harris to release medical report confirming fitness for presidency: campaign
- 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
Stocks rise, dollar falls before US growth data
Asian and European stock markets mostly edged higher and the dollar dropped Thursday ahead of first-quarter US growth data.
Blockbuster earnings lifted the tech-heavy Nasdaq on Wednesday, with both Microsoft and Meta soaring after delivering expectation-beating reports, but recession fears and concerns over the banking sector dragged down the Dow and the S&P.
The earnings season is in full swing and as usual paints a mixed picture.
Japan's Nomura bank saw its share price plunge more than seven percent after announcing its profits tumbled 76 percent to $55.3 million in the last quarter.
South Korean tech giant Samsung meanwhile reported its worst quarterly profits in 14 years, blaming slowing consumer spending and falling microchip prices.
Although the company's first-quarter net income slumped 86 percent its stock closed higher.
In Hong Kong, excitement over a stock-market launch by Chinese baijiu liquor maker ZJLD fizzled as its shares closed down almost nearly 17 percent.
Global sentiment was dampened by fears for the health of the banking sector, with investors keeping an eye on the embattled First Republic Bank, which ended down nearly 30 percent on Wednesday after another bruising session.
But British bank Barclays rallied, topping London's benchmark FTSE 100 stocks index, thanks to a jump in quarterly profits.
Across the Atlantic, "we cannot rule out the possibility developments around First Republic could unfold in a manner that would lead the" Federal Reserve to pause on interest-rate rises, noted Krishna Guha, head of central bank strategy at Evercore ISI.
Uncertainty over the Fed's next move with regards hikes to borrowing costs that are aimed at cooling inflation comes as lacklustre US consumer confidence data deepens fears of a broader recession.
- Key figures around 1100 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 7,847.42 points
Frankfurt - DAX 40: UP 0.1 percent at 15,806.98
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.3 percent at 7,489.78
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.2 percent at 4,355.94
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.4 at 19,840.28 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.7 percent at 3,285.88 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.2 percent at 28,457.68 (close)
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.7 percent at 33,301.87 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1047 from $1.1044 on Wednesday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2468 from $1.2409
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 133.56 yen from 133.67 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 88.57 pence from 88.55 pence
Brent North Sea crude: FLAT at $77.72 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: FLAT at $74.32 per barrel
H.Cho--CPN