- 'Little Gregory' murder haunts France 40 years on
- Tariffs, tax cuts, energy: What is in Trump's economic plan?
- Amazon wants to be everything to everyone
- 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
European stocks rise, bucking slides in Asia, US
European markets advanced in early trade on Wednesday, bucking slides in Asia and the United States driven by fears of banking sector turmoil and jitters over interest rates.
London, Frankfurt and Paris were all enjoying modest gains as cautious investors awaited an anticipated US Federal Reserve interest rate hike later in the day, as well as a similar decision by the European Central Bank expected on Thursday.
"Caution is set to take centre stage ahead of the Fed's interest rate decision later, as investors mull what's ahead for the mighty US economy," said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at stockbroker Hargreaves Lansdown.
Interest rate worries had the opposite effect on Wall Street the day before, conspiring with falling confidence in regional banks to fuel losses that bled over into Asia as Wednesday's trading got under way.
Sydney finished nearly one percent down after the Australian central bank hiked interest rates there to an 11-year high -- a surprise move that dashed hopes it would hold rates steady as inflation showed signs of slowing.
Hong Kong, meanwhile, finished 1.2 percent down, and Seoul, Taipei, Wellington, Jakarta, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, Bangkok and Manila were all in the red as well.
Markets in Japan and mainland China were closed for holidays.
US futures, meanwhile, were edging back up after the previous day's hefty losses.
Also weighing on investor sentiment were fears that Democrats and Republicans could fail to reach a deal on raising the US debt ceiling, triggering a default by the world's largest economy as early as June 1.
"It is a key event risk in the next few weeks and possibly a month or two," BNY Mellon Investment Management's Aninda Mitra told Bloomberg Television, adding that the impasse "feeds into our overall defensiveness".
Stephen Innes, of SPI Asset Management, said that even if a crisis were averted, it may create a drag on markets.
"As we have seen in the past, a resolution to the debt limit is likely to occur," he said in a note.
"The problem for risk markets is a negotiated deal may include a pullback in government spending that could negatively impact US growth."
Oil prices, meanwhile, sank even lower on Wednesday after tumbling the day before, with the US benchmark oil contract, WTI, briefly dipping under $70 per barrel for the first time since OPEC+ cut output a month ago.
The main international contract, Brent North Sea, was also down, trading under $74 per barrel.
The recent drops have erased gains seen after the OPEC+ production cut was announced at the beginning of April.
"Downward price pressure could persist in oil markets until it becomes clear that a significant recession will be avoided and growth in global oil demand won't be stunted," Innes said.
- Key figures around 0845 GMT -
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.2 percent at 19,699.16
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 7,789.66
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: Closed for holiday
Shanghai - Composite: Closed for holiday
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1043 from $1.1005 on Tuesday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2527 from $1.2470
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 135.71 yen from 136.55 yen
Euro/pound: DOWN at 88.15 pence from 88.23 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 2.3 percent at $70.13 per barrel
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 2.1 at $73.76 per barrel
New York - Dow: DOWN 1.1 percent at 33,684.53 (close)
D.Philippon--CPN