- In the Colombian Pacific, fighting to save sharks
- Argentina's Matera banned for Italy Test after red card
- Vientos grand slam propels Mets in series-tying win over Dodgers
- Supporters of ex-Bolivia leader Morales block roads over possible arrest
- Germany into Nations League quarters, France and Italy win
- Nagelsmann lauds 'supercharged' Germany's 'best half of the year'
- 'Pandas are coming': Two new bears depart China for US capital
- Dodgers pitcher Kershaw plans to return for 2025
- Mbappe 'investigated for rape' in Sweden: report
- Revived Italy sweep past Israel in Nations League amid high security
- Trudeau slams India as tensions soar over Sikh separatist's murder
- Harris courts Black voters as Trump makes inroads
- Wall Street stocks hit fresh records as oil prices slide
- Nigerian team return home after boycotting AFCON qualifier in Libya
- Nigeria refuse to play in Libya as Algeria, Cameroon qualify
- Strike-hit Boeing leaves experts puzzled by strategy
- Leweling rockets Germany past Dutch and into Nations League quarterfinals
- Kolo Muani double fires France to win in Belgium
- Italy sweep past Israel in Nations League amid high security
- UN peacekeepers to 'stay in all positions' in Lebanon
- NASA launches probe to study if life possible on icy Jupiter moon
- 'Unique' Ronaldo an example to everyone, says Martinez
- New lawsuits against Sean Combs allege sex assault, including of minor
- Italy begins migrant transfers to Albania with first group of 16
- Google signs nuclear power deal with startup Kairos
- Carsley open to foreign England manager amid Guardiola links
- Pogba hungry to have his football cake after doping ban
- India and Canada expel top envoys in Sikh separatist killing row
- Mbappe says victim of 'fake news' after 'rape' report in Sweden
- Lebanon says 21 killed in strike on northern village
- Netanyahu vows no mercy after deadly Hezbollah drone strike
- Russia could be able to attack NATO by 2030: German intelligence
- EVs seek to regain sales momentum at Paris Motor Show
- Clarke backs Scotland to bounce back from 'tough' run
- Harris, Trump target crucial Pennsylvania as US vote looms
- NASA probe Europa Clipper lifts off for Jupiter's icy moon
- Lebanese Red Cross says 18 killed in strike in north
- Mendy borrowed money from Man City team-mates for legal fees
- Palestinian officials say Israeli forces kill two in West Bank
- Football leagues, unions file EU complaint against FIFA in calendar dispute
- Nigeria boycott AFCON qualifier in Libya after 'inhumane treatment'
- India to recall top envoy to Canada: foreign ministry
- Hezbollah, Israeli troops in 'violent clashes' after drone strike
- China insists won't renounce 'use of force' to take Taiwan as drills end
- Painkiller sale plan to US gives France major headache
- Italy begins landmark migrant transfers to Albania
- Russia jails French researcher for three years
- 'Unsustainable' housing crisis bedevils Spain's socialist govt
- Stocks shrug off China disappointment but oil slides
- New Zealand 4-0 up in America's Cup but British show signs of life
US stocks tumble after Fed Chair says another rate hike possible
US stock markets declined Thursday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell indicated interest rates may be hiked again, if needed, while European indexes finished the day with solid gains.
The US drop came after Powell told a conference in Washington that progress towards policymakers' two percent goal is "not assured."
Fed officials decided this month to hold interest rates at a 22-year high for a second straight meeting, fueling hopes it was done with hikes.
But Powell said Thursday: "If it becomes appropriate to tighten policy further, we will not hesitate to do so."
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.7 percent, while the S&P 500 Index fell 0.8 percent and the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index lost 0.9 percent.
Powell's remarks were of a "different tone than he has given before," said Karl Haeling of LBBW.
He added that Powell had perhaps "shifted the emphasis of his views and talked more about the risks," due to the recent easing of financial conditions, which has seen a rally in stocks and a drop in bond yields.
One of the reasons monetary policymakers cited for not raising policy interest rates is that high bond yields were doing the job of slowing business activity.
- Oil, dollar, Bitcoin up -
Oil prices increased Thursday, but made little impact on the losses of nearly seven percent seen in the previous two days due to slowing demand expectations and easing fears that the Israel-Hamas war could turn into a conflict across the crude-rich Middle East.
The dollar wobbled before Powell's key speech, but finished the day in a better position according to the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index.
The greenback finished stronger against the Euro, Japanese and the British pound, following the speech.
Bitcoin meanwhile neared $37,000 before losing some ground, amid hopes of US approval for a so-called exchange-traded fund that would directly track the price of the world's most popular cryptocurrency.
- European gains before Powell -
The major European stock indexes all rose Thursday, ahead of Powell's remarks.
"European markets booked some muted gains on Thursday with the majority of investors waiting for news from the Fed," said XTB analyst Walid Koudmani.
"Whether this pause for breath triggers profit-taking and a broader selloff in stocks or not will likely be dictated by the tone of Powell's comments," he said.
Earlier this week, Minneapolis Fed chief Neel Kashkari insisted on seeing more data before deciding whether more work was needed, while Chicago counterpart Austan Goolsbee played his cards close to his chest, saying only that inflation was "the number-one thing".
But Michelle Bowman, a Fed governor, said she continued to expect the Fed will need to raise rates further "to bring inflation down to our two percent target in a timely way."
"I see a continued risk that core services inflation remains stubbornly persistent," she added, referring to a measure of inflation that strips out volatile components like food and energy.
A few days before the Fed's decision to hold rates steady, the European Central Bank announced its own pause in interest rate hikes last month, following 10-straight increases.
French central bank chief Francois Villeroy de Galhau, a member of the ECB's governing council, said Thursday the Frankfurt-based institution would not hike rates again unless there was a "surprise" or "shock".
But he added that it was "too early" to talk about cutting rates.
- Key figures around 2115 GMT -
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.7 percent at 33,891.94 points (close)
New York - S&P 500: DOWN 0.8 percent at 4,347.35 (close)
New York - Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 0.9 percent at 13,521.45 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.7 percent at 7,455.67 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: UP 1.1 percent at 7,113.66 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.8 percent at 15,352.54 (close)
EURO STOXX 50: UP 1.2 percent at 4,229.20 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.5 percent at 32,646.46 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.3 percent at 17,511.29 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: FLAT at 3,053.28 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0671 from $1.0709 on Wednesday
Dollar/yen: UP at 151.35 yen from 150.98 yen
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2223 from $1.2285
Euro/pound: UP at 87.28 pence from 87.17 pence
Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.6 percent at $80.01 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.5 percent at $75.74 per barrel
burs-rl/ach/da/des
A.Malone--AMWN