- 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
- Russian prosecutor demands 3 years prison for French researcher
- 'Innocent' British nerve agent victim caught in global murder plot: inquiry
- Afghan Taliban vow to implement media ban on images of living things
- Russian prosecutor demands 3 years, 3 months jail for French researcher
- England ready for Pakistan's spin assault in second Test
- New Zealand's Ravindra excited for India Tests with father in crowd
- India's capital bans fireworks to curb air pollution
- Stocks diverge, oil retreats as China disappoints markets
- FIFA to open 'global dialogue' on transfer system after Diarra ruling
- Trio wins economics Nobel for work on wealth inequality
- Starmer vows to cut red tape as he urges foreign investors to 'back' UK
- Ex-Stasi officer jailed over 1974 Berlin border killing
- 'Not viable': Barcelona turns against surging tourism
- Hezbollah says targeted Israeli naval base after deadly drone strike
Stocks fall as rate-hope rally fades
World stock markets mostly fell Thursday as investors took a breather after a recent rally following better-than-expected US inflation figures.
Slowing US inflation lit a fire under global equities this week, cementing traders' views that the Federal Reserve would no longer need to hike interest rates and even fuelling talk of cuts next year.
Wall Street's main indices opened lower after news that US industrial production declined more than expected in October by 0.6 percent.
Oil prices fell almost four percent on concern about demand.
Company results also weighed on markets, with shares in Walmart tumbling after the retail giant narrowly lifted its full-year forecast but gave a cautious outlook on consumer spending.
Tech firm Cisco Systems slumped as it projected weaker than expected sales in the upcoming quarter.
Shares in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba plummeted in New York after it said it would cancel the spinoff of its cloud computing arm because of US curbs on chip exports.
"Market optimism appears to be cooling off after a bumper period of gains for equity markets, built on growing expectations that the Fed are finished with their historic tightening process," noted Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets.
"With markets now pricing a mere one-percent chance of another hike, markets are now more concerned with the timing of the first rate cut and the pace of easing."
London and Paris were down two hours from the close although Frankfurt bucked the trend.
Shares in Burberry tumbled more than nine percent after the British luxury fashion house warned over future profits as global demand for high-end clothing weakens.
Hong Kong, which jumped almost four percent Wednesday, led losses Thursday as it gave up one percent, while Tokyo and Shanghai also closed in the red.
"We're seeing a more muted session in financial markets on Thursday following a couple of days in which investors have been very encouraged by the economic data," said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at trading platform OANDA.
- Biden, Xi hold talks -
Focus was also on US President Joe Biden and his much-anticipated talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
Biden described the talks as the "most constructive and productive" of their relationship, as the two sought some common ground after years of tensions.
"We've made some important progress, I believe," he told reporters.
The meeting in California resulted in agreements on several issues including high-level military communications and artificial intelligence.
Long-running tensions between the two global superpowers have weighed heavily on markets, with investors concerned about the impact on trade and geopolitics.
Later, Xi told US business leaders that China was "ready to be a partner and friend of the United States".
US markets also digested the passage of a stop-gap funding bill to keep federal agencies running for another two months and avert a painful holiday season government shutdown.
- Key figures around 1515 GMT -
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.2 percent at 34,931.52
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.9 percent at 7,422.08
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.4 percent at 7,183.40
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.4 percent at 15,817.30
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.1 percent at 4,309.46
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.3 percent at 33,424.41 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.4 percent at 17,832.82 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.7 percent at 3,050.93 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at 1.0884 from $1.0850 on Wednesday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2443 from $1.2414
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 150.49 yen from 151.37 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 87.48 pence from 87.36 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 4.0 percent at $73.63 per barrel
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 3.7 percent at $78.18 per barrel
Ch.Kahalev--AMWN