- 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
- Rice praises 'unbelievable' England interim boss Carsley despite uncertainty
- Nepali teenager hailed as hero after climbing world's 8,000m peaks
- England captain Stokes back from injury for second Pakistan Test
- Shanghai stocks gain after stimulus briefing as markets rally
- Shanghai stocks gain after stimulus briefing as Asian markets rally
- South Korea military says 'fully ready' as drone flights anger North
- Pakistan 'vigilantes' behind rise in online blasphemy cases
- Nearly 90, but opera legend Kabaivanska is still calling tune
- Smith experiment as Test opener over, Green out of India series
- With inflation down, ECB eyes faster tempo of rate cuts
- Is life possible on a Jupiter moon? NASA goes to investigate
- Dodgers crush Mets 9-0 in MLB playoff series opener
- South Korea military says 'fully ready' as drone tensions soar
- Cummins back, Marsh and Head out of Pakistan ODI series
- Shanghai stocks swing after stimulus briefing as most of Asia rises
- New Zealand's Latham promises 'no fear' as he takes charge for India Tests
- Kyrgios vows to 'shut up' doubters with December comeback
- Public hearings start into death of Brit by Russian nerve agent
- Ex-Stasi officer faces verdict over 1974 Berlin border killing
- Role of government, poverty research tipped for economics Nobel
- 'Stolen satire' feeds US election misinformation
- Rookie McCarty captures first PGA Tour title in Black Desert Championship
- Australia all-rounder Green ruled out of India Test series
- Seeing double in Nigeria's 'twins capital of the world'
- UK FM to attend EU foreign affairs talks for first time in 2 years
- Carter, Billups among 13 new Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
- Ravens rip Commanders as Lions lose NFL sacks leader in win
- Hezbollah drone strike kills four, wounds dozens at Israeli base
- China says launches military drills around Taiwan
- Stewart leads Liberty past Lynx to level WNBA Finals
- England return to winning ways in Nations League, Austria thrash Norway
- UN chief says attacks on UNIFIL 'may constitute a war crime'
- Ravens outlast Commanders while Bucs batter Saints in NFL
- Dozens hurt in Israel as Hezbollah claims drone strike
- England deserve 'world class' coach: Carsley
- Burkina Faso win to become first qualifiers for 2025 AFCON
Stock markets on hold as US inflation comes into view
Stock markets were mostly in wait-and-see mode on Monday as investors eyed the release this week of key US inflation data that could guide Federal Reserve plans for interest rates going into the new year.
Oil prices slid nearly two percent before cutting their losses as dealers awaited a delayed meeting of OPEC and its allies to decide over output levels.
With Wall Street seeing little action at the back of last week owing to the Thanksgiving break, traders had few catalysts to drive action, though analysts were upbeat about the end of the year.
"Although there isn't much buying interest at the moment, it's more notable that there still isn't much selling interest," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare.
The Dow edged higher at the open, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq drifted lower.
The retreat in equities comes after a recent run-up across world stock markets fuelled by bets the US central bank has finished lifting interest rates as inflation comes down and the jobs market comes off the boil.
Expectations that the Federal Reserve is done with hiking rates continued to weigh on the dollar Monday.
The main focus this week is the release Thursday of the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, the Fed's preferred gauge of inflation.
"These numbers will be closely scrutinised for insights into inflation trends and their potential implications for monetary policy decisions," said SPI Asset Management's Stephen Innes.
"While the current backdrop does not signify 'mission accomplished' in terms of addressing inflation, policymakers must now focus on planning for the next phase of the economic battle."
Still, observers were upbeat about the outlook, with the latest weakness blamed on traders taking a breather after a strong month.
Tony Sycamore, at IG Group, said early December could see some selling as investors "rebuild energy and (look) to set up for the end-of-year fireworks".
Others said a drop in Wall Street's VIX "fear gauge" -- a measure of equity volatility -- to its lowest since January 2020 suggested investors were getting their mojo back.
Eyes are also on developments at OPEC after the group and its allies, notably Russia, delayed a meeting aimed at agreeing production quotas, with some African countries said to be baulking at Saudi Arabian calls for more cuts.
The group is thought to be close to reaching an agreement that could see the Saudis and Russia extend output reductions into the new year.
Crude prices have fallen in recent weeks as demand is seen coming down owing to slowing economies, particularly China's, and the Middle East conflict appears to not have expanded to include other countries in the region.
- Key figures around 1430 GMT -
New York - DOW: UP less than 0.1 percent at 35,403.40 points
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.2 percent at 7,473.93
Paris - CAC 40: FLAT at 7,293.86
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.1 percent at 16,009.52
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.1 percent at 4,367.07
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.5 percent at 33,447.67 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.2 percent at 17,525.06 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.3 percent at 3,031.70 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0935 from $1.0922
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2622 from $1.2585
Euro/pound: DOWN at 86.60 pence from 86.79 pence
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 148.81 from 149.56 yen
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.3 percent at $75.33 per barrel
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 0.3 percent at $80.32 per barrel
burs-rl/lth
F.Dubois--AMWN