- Hera spacecraft to probe asteroid deflected by defence test
- US dockworkers to head back to work after tentative deal
- After Helene's destruction, North Carolina starts to rebuild
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- Israel-Hamas war causes 86-percent dive in Gaza GDP: IMF
- Milan's Morata moves house after Inter-fan town mayor 'violates' privacy
- 'Devastating' storm hits Augusta National but Masters will go on
- Relief in Brazil, Asia over delay to EU deforestation rules
- Oil prices jump, stocks fall on Middle East tensions
- Biden says 'discussing' possible Israeli strikes on Iran oil facilities
- Oil prices rise, stocks fall on Middle East tensions
- Oil rallies, stocks mostly retreat on Middle East tensions
- Phasing out teen smoking could save 1.2 mn lives: study
- 'Welcome relief': Asia producers hail EU deforestation law delay
- Japan PM slated to announce plans for 'happiness index'
- Turkish inflation falls less than expected in September at 49.4%
- Easing inflation lifts profit at UK supermarket Tesco
- Skiing calls on UN climate science to combat melting future
- China wine industry looks to breed climate resilience
- Tokyo rallies on weak yen, Hong Kong drops after surge
- Dutch airline KLM unveils 'firm' cost-cutting measures
- Carpe diem: the Costa Rican women turning fish into fashion
- Senegal looks to aquaculture as fish stocks dwindle
- Will AI one day win a Nobel Prize?
- Climate change, economics muddy West's drive to curb Chinese EVs
- Argentina's Milei vetoes university budget after huge protests
- TotalEnergies plans to grow oil and gas production until 2030
- 2024 Nobels offer glimmer of hope as global crises mount
- Tokyo rallies on weak yen, Hong Kong reverses after surge
- Tunisia readies for vote as incumbent Saied eyes victory
- High childcare costs in US weigh on women's employment
- US voters seek help with crushing childcare costs
- Taiwan shuts down for second day as Typhoon Krathon to land
- Supercharged storms: how climate change amplifies cyclones
- Biden official urges talks as US port strike enters second day
- Huge protests in Argentina over public university cuts
- Rally in oil prices loses steam on mixed day for global stocks
- South America treated to rare 'ring of fire' eclipse
- Biden official says port strike deal not as far as parties think
- Mexico's new president offers apology for 1968 student massacre
- Historic funding round values OpenAI at $157 billion
- Mixed US car sales in Q3 as industry hopes for post-election bounce
- Thunderstorms are a 'boiling pot' of gamma rays, scientists find
- Scientists unlock secret of 'Girl With Pearl Earring'
- Dolphins flash friendly grins when they're ready to play
- Facing backlash, EU moves to delay deforestation rules
- US private sector adds more jobs than expected in September: ADP
- Boys out of critical condition after Zurich stabbings
- Spain logs record summer tourism as inflow draws protests
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Markets track Wall St higher on easing recession fears
Stocks rose Monday following a rally on Wall Street in response to data indicating US consumers remained resilient to surging inflation and higher interest rates, easing concerns about a possible recession.
Still, investors continue to fret over the economic outlook, with Russia's war in Ukraine showing no sign of ending, China locking down cities to fight a new Covid flare-up and central banks quickly tightening monetary policy.
All three main indexes in New York raced higher on Friday after June retail sales came in above forecasts and banking giant Citigroup's April-June results beat expectations.
While a strong set of economic data has of late boosted bets on the Federal Reserve lifting borrowing costs more, the latest figures were not seen as being big enough to warrant a sharper rate hike next week.
Market analysts widely expect the bank to announce a 75 basis point lift, though some have suggested a one percentage point increase could be on the cards.
Policymakers have made it clear their main goal is bringing inflation down from a four-decade high, even if that stunts growth or causes a recession.
"Overall the robust US data... eased concerns about an imminent recession but is also unlikely to mount an additional case for a 100 basis point Fed hike," said SPI Asset Management's Stephen Innes.
"And it was about as goldilocks of a mix of headline data risk as one could have expected given the Fed's dilemma of balancing inflation versus growth."
Traders are keeping an eye on the European Central Bank's next policy meeting this week where it is expected to announce its first rate hike in more than a decade.
The forecast rise has provided some support to the troubled euro, which has been hammered by fears that an energy crisis sparked by the Ukraine war will send the economy into recession.
Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Singapore, Mumbai, Taipei, Jakarta, Bangkok and Wellington were all up. Tokyo was closed for a holiday.
London, Paris and Frankfurt opened up.
However, uncertainty remains rife on trading floors, with a new spike in Covid cases in China causing concern that officials will impose fresh lockdowns in major cities including Shanghai and Beijing.
A two-month shutdown in Shanghai earlier this year hammered the world's number two economy and severely hit global supply chains.
Lanzhou, the capital of northwestern Gansu province, has ordered its 4.4 million residents to stay home, while a county in Anhui province went into lockdown from Friday.
Beihai in the southern Guangxi region on Saturday also announced lockdowns in parts of two districts that are home to more than 800,000 people.
Crude prices extended gains, with both main contracts up more than two percent.
Speculation Saudi Arabia will lift production after Joe Biden's visit to the country, during which he called on the kingdom to help ease the price pressure that has sent inflation rocketing, had little impact on the market.
However, SPI's Innes added that with a deal between OPEC and other major producers ending soon, output could see a big rise.
"As long as the agreement is in effect, Saudi Arabia has made it transparent that individual producers with spare capacity should not exceed their quota to offset underproduction elsewhere within the group.
"From October, however, this changes."
Meanwhile, Libya is set to see a boost to output as months of outages come to an end, while the lifting of US sanctions on Venezuela could lead to a return of capacity from the South American country.
- Key figures at around 0720 GMT -
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 2.3 percent at 20,772.15
Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.6 percent at 3,278.10 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: Closed for a holiday
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.7 percent at 7,206.51
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0115 from $1.0088 Friday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.1907 from $1.1865
Euro/pound: DOWN at 84.94 pence from 85.00 pence
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 138.20 yen from 138.54 yen
West Texas Intermediate: UP 2.4 percent at $99.92 per barrel
Brent North Sea crude: UP 2.5 percent at $103.67 per barrel
New York - Dow: UP 2.2 percent at 31,288.26 (close)
P.Kolisnyk--CPN