- NASA probe Europa Clipper lifts off for Jupiter's icy moon
- 'Unsustainable' housing crisis bedevils Spain's socialist govt
- Stocks shrug off China disappointment but oil slides
- Stocks diverge, oil retreats as China disappoints markets
- Trio wins economics Nobel for work on wealth inequality
- Ex-Stasi officer jailed over 1974 Berlin border killing
- Shanghai stocks gain after stimulus briefing as markets rally
- Shanghai stocks gain after stimulus briefing as Asian markets rally
- Nearly 90, but opera legend Kabaivanska is still calling tune
- With inflation down, ECB eyes faster tempo of rate cuts
- Is life possible on a Jupiter moon? NASA goes to investigate
- Ex-Stasi officer faces verdict over 1974 Berlin border killing
- Role of government, poverty research tipped for economics Nobel
- In milestone, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- In a first, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Bangladeshi Hindus shrug off attack worries to celebrate festival
- Ubisoft fears assassin's hit over falling sales
- Vietnam, China hold talks on calming South China Sea tensions
- SpaceX will try to 'catch' giant Starship rocket shortly before landing
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgery: reports
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgey: reports
- '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
European markets mostly drop before ECB
Europe's stocks mostly fell Thursday before an expected European Central Bank interest rate increase, and after the US Federal Reserve paused its rate-hiking cycle but signalled more to come.
Frankfurt and Paris equities sank in early afternoon deals while London flatlined after a mixed performance in Asia.
The euro held firm against the dollar as dealers awaited news from the ECB.
Despite recession in the eurozone, the institution is tipped to deliver a quarter-point hike to tackle high inflation, which has largely been caused by soaring energy prices after key producer Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Inflation in the bloc slowed to 6.1 percent in May year-on-year, but remains more than three times the ECB's two-percent target.
Central banks hike rates in a bid to dampen inflation, but this also hurts economic activity, ramps up loan repayments and weighs on investor sentiment.
- 'Hawkish' -
"Central banks remain... hawkish" owing to stubbornly-high inflation, OANDA analyst Craig Erlam told AFP.
"The Fed paused but forecast two more rate hikes, while the ECB will likely push back against the idea of a pause at this point after hiking today."
Policymakers remain on alert over simmering inflation, with Canada and Australia recently springing surprise rate hikes.
This "highlights just how concerned central banks remain about the potential of above target inflation becoming embedded", cautioned Erlam.
Fed policymakers opted Wednesday to freeze borrowing costs, having implemented 10 straight hikes since early 2022.
However, they signalled more increases were likely later in the year as inflation was still double the bank's target rate and the jobs market remained tight.
The move to hold rates at 5.0-5.25 percent came a day after figures showed prices rose 4.0 percent last month on an annual comparison, the slowest pace since March 2021.
The reading added to hopes the Fed could guide the economy to a soft landing and eased worries the United States could tip into recession.
"The Fed left rates on hold but the accompanying guidance was more hawkish than expected," said MUFG analyst Lee Hardman.
"It was still the first time that the Fed decided not to raise rates... since the current tightening cycle began back in March of last year."
In contrast, investors also digested news that China's central bank had cut a key interest rate in a bid to boost activity in the struggling Asian powerhouse economy.
The Fed news got a mixed reception on Wall Street on Wednesday, with the Dow finishing lower but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq rising modestly.
Elsewhere Thursday, Europe's reference gas price hit a two-month high on falling supplies from major producer Norway, which has suffered pipe leaks and maintenance shutdowns.
Norway has become Europe's biggest gas supplier in the wake of Russia's war on neighbouring Ukraine.
- Key figures around 1100 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: FLAT at 7,605.69 points
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.6 percent at 16,211.53
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.7 percent at 7,274.00
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.6 percent at 4,349.55
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.1 percent at 33,485.49 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 2.2 percent at 19,828.92 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.7 percent at 3,252.98 (close)
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.7 percent at 33,979.33 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0843 from $1.0830 on Wednesday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2668 from $1.2664
Dollar/yen: UP at 141.16 yen from 140.09 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 85.60 percent from 85.52 pence
Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.2 percent at $74.06 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.1 percent at $68.99 per barrel
burs/rfj/bcp/rl
A.Mykhailo--CPN