- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Meta AI turns pictures into videos with sound
- US dockworkers return to ports after three-day strike
- DR Congo to begin mpox vaccination campaign Saturday in east
- Meta must limit data use for targeted ads: EU court
- Oil extends gains, jobs report lifts Wall Street
- US hiring soars past expectations in sign of resilient market
- As EU targets Chinese cars, European rivals sputter
- Top EU court finds against FIFA in key transfer market ruling
- Oil extends gains, Hong Kong stocks resume rally
- 'A man provides': Ukrainian miners send families away as Russia advances
- EU states greenlight extra tariffs on EVs from China
- Hong Kong stocks resume rally, oil dips after Middle East-fuelled surge
- Crude stable after Israel-Iran surge, Hong Kong stocks resume gains
- 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
- Dockers end three-day strike at Montreal port
- What next for OpenAI after $157 billion bonanza?
- 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
Europe stocks subdued before Fed chair speech
European stock markets wobbled Friday ahead of a speech by Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell that is expected to reiterate his plan to ramp up US interest rates to fight soaring inflation.
London equities edged up despite news that UK domestic energy bills will rocket even higher this year on surging wholesale gas prices as Britain's cost-of-living crisis worsens.
Yet Frankfurt and Paris stocks slid on fears of a eurozone energy crunch in the coming peak-demand winter as Russia curbs supplies.
Europe's benchmark Dutch TTF gas contract dipped Friday one day after soaring to 324 euros per megawatt hour, not far from the record high struck in March after key gas producer Russia invaded Ukraine.
All eyes are now on Powell's remarks later Friday at the annual symposium of top bankers and finance chiefs at Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Most expect him to confirm that more hikes are on the way as officials try to bring inflation down from painful highs not seen in four decades.
- Choosing words carefully -
"I have no doubt Powell will have chosen his words very carefully today, all too aware of the consequences of even the smallest deviation in his intended message," said OANDA trading platform analyst Craig Erlam.
"It's a little ridiculous that markets put so much weight on such things but that is the situation we are in and I expect the Fed chair will be very clear in the message he wants to send."
The key issue now is how much the bank will tighten over the coming months, with expectations for a half-point lift next month, after two three-quarter moves in June and July.
Elsewhere, Asia was buoyed by signs of progress in talks between US and Chinese regulators that could see tech titans including Alibaba and JD.com avoid a delisting in New York.
Hong Kong enjoyed a surge in tech shares thanks to news that China-US regulatory talks were progressing.
More than 200 Chinese firms have for months had the threat of a New York delisting hanging over them as they are caught in a wide-ranging row between the world's two biggest economies.
But reports said Thursday that Beijing had called on top accounting firms to prepare to bring US-listed companies' audit papers to Hong Kong, to be reviewed by US officials.
US lawmakers set a 2024 deadline for the removal of businesses that do not comply with listing rules and the latest move could provide a big step in avoiding that.
- Key figures at around 1045 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 7,483.55 points
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.3 percent at 13,227.02
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.3 percent at 6,364.56
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,666.09
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.6 percent at 28,479.01 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 3.6 percent at 19,968.38 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.0 percent at 3,246.25 (close)
New York - Dow: UP 0.2 percent at 32,969.23 points (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $0.9982 from $0.9974 on Thursday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.1792 from $1.1832
Euro/pound: UP at 84.65 pence from 84.31 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 136.94 yen from 136.49 yen
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.5 percent at $93.49 per barrel
Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.1 percent at $100.44
burs/rfj/lth
Y.Jeong--CPN