- 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
- What are proteins again? Nobel-winning chemistry explained
- AI steps into science limelight with Nobel wins
- Overshooting 1.5C risks 'irreversible' climate impact: study
- Demis Hassabis, from chess prodigy to Nobel-winning AI pioneer
- Global stocks diverge as Chinese shares tumble
- Time runs out in Florida to flee Hurricane Milton
- Chad issues warning ahead of more devastating floods
- Creator's death no bar to new 'Dragon Ball' products
- Chinese stocks tumble on lack of fresh stimulus
- Trio wins chemistry Nobel for protein design, prediction
- Braving war: Lebanon's 'badass' airline defies odds
- US weighs Google breakup in landmark trial
- Chinese stocks tumble on stimulus upset, Asia tracks Wall St higher
- 7-Eleven owner confirms new takeover offer from Couche-Tard
- A US climate scientist sees hurricane Helene's devastation firsthand
- Can carbon credits help close coal plants?
- Boeing suspends negotiations with striking workers
- 7-Eleven owner's shares spike on report of new buyout offer
- Your 'local everything': what 7-Eleven buyout battle means for Japan
- AI-aided research, new materials eyed for Nobel Chemistry Prize
- The US economy is solid: Why are voters gloomy?
Stock markets diverge, oil gains after China rebounds
Chinese stock markets returned to winning ways Thursday, closing with solid gains after China's central bank took action to boost purchases of company shares.
Europe's main equity indices were little changed in midday deals after yet more record-highs Wednesday on Wall Street.
Oil prices jumped around 1.5 percent as volatility continued to dominate the crude market.
The dollar was mixed against its main counterparts before US consumer price inflation data Thursday and after the Federal Reserve revealed a split on last month's bumper cut to US interest rates.
Shanghai's stock market closed 1.3 percent higher Thursday and Hong Kong rose 3.0 percent.
"The China trade made a small comeback, providing a positive tailwind for global markets," said Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at stockbroker Hargreaves Lansdown.
"All eyes are now on (US) inflation data out later today. While it may not be the Fed's preferred inflation measure, it still has the power to move markets."
Hong Kong and mainland markets whipsawed this week as the euphoria over China's recent moves to boost its economy was dampened by a news conference that failed to unveil more measures or give details on those already announced.
On Thursday, however, investors welcomed news that the People's Bank of China had released details of a "swap facility" that will allow "qualified securities, funds and insurance companies" to access more than $70 billion in liquidity to purchase equities.
The move helped the Shanghai index claw back some of its six-percent plunge Wednesday -- its worst performance in more than four years.
On Wall Street, the Dow and S&P 500 chalked up all-time highs Wednesday thanks to a burst from tech giants including Amazon and Apple.
In London on Thursday, shares in GSK jumped more than five percent after the British pharmaceutical company agreed to pay $2.3 billion in the United States to end lawsuits alleging that its Zantac heartburn drug caused cancer.
- Key figures around 1045 GMT -
Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.3 percent at 3,301.93 points (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 3.0 percent at 21,251.98 (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 8,237.44 points
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.1 percent at 7,548.84
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.1 percent at 19,267.69
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.3 percent at 39,380.89 (close)
New York - Dow: UP 1.0 percent at 42,512.00 (close)
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 1.5 percent at $77.73 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.6 percent at $74.39 per barrel
Euro/dollar: DOWN at 1.0935 from $1.0940 on Wednesday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3075 from $1.3062
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 148.83 yen from 149.35 yen
Euro/pound: DOWN at 83.62 pence from 83.72 pence
A.Mykhailo--CPN