- 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
- AC Milan's Pulisic among five out for USA match in Mexico
- France's Amandine Henry retires from international football
- Centre-left set to win pro-Ukraine Lithuania's vote
- India's World Cup hopes in Pakistan hands after Australia defeat
- Zelensky says NKorea sending troops to Russian army
- England beat Finland to get back on track
- King and Lewis propel West Indies to T20 triumph over Sri Lanka
- Pre-Halloween 'Terrifier' lands atop North America box office
- 'I still plan to compete and play next season,' says Djokovic
- Harris, Trump seek advantage in knife-edge election battle
- Chepngetich shatters women's marathon world record in Chicago
- Kamindu and Asalanka power Sri Lanka to 179 against West Indies
- Chepngetich shatters women's marathon world record as Korir wins in Chicago
- Spain send injured Yamal home 'to prioritise player's health'
- In milestone, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Iraq walks fine line with pro-Iran factions to avoid war
- Race four abandoned after New Zealand breeze into 3-0 lead in America's Cup
- West Indies win toss, put Sri Lanka in to bat in first T20
- Sudan rescuers say air strike killed 23 in Khartoum market
- Netanyahu tells UN to move Lebanon peacekeepers out of 'harm's way'
- Bangladeshi Hindus defy attack worries to celebrate festival
- Kiwis three up in America's Cup as Ineos pay for time penalty
- In a first, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Dominant England crush Scotland at Women's T20 World Cup
- Dropped: The rise and fall of Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam
- Israel fights Hezbollah on the ground, pounds Lebanon from the air
- Sabalenka outlasts local hero Zheng to win third Wuhan Open title
- Bangladeshi Hindus shrug off attack worries to celebrate festival
- Former Pakistan captain Azam dropped for second England Test
- 'Opportunist' Dupont dazzles on Toulouse return
- Australia replace injured Vlaeminck with Graham at Women's T20 World Cup
- Sinner wins Shanghai Masters to deny Djokovic 100th career title
- Ubisoft fears assassin's hit over falling sales
- Israel hits Lebanon from the air and fights Hezbollah on the ground
- China's Yin has 'goosebumps' as she romps to LPGA win in Shanghai
- Pakistan to re-use Multan pitch for second England Test
- Blair and King Charles hail Salmond's 'devotion' to Scotland
- Vietnam, China hold talks on calming South China Sea tensions
- SpaceX will try to 'catch' giant Starship rocket shortly before landing
- England captain Stokes in line for second Pakistan Test return
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgery: reports
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgey: reports
- Israel widens Lebanon strikes as troops fight Hezbollah along border
- Bowlers' graveyards: Pakistan's placid pitches under fresh fire
Stock markets rise before Christmas break as inflation cools
US and European stock markets mostly advanced Friday before the Christmas break as data showed US inflation cooled last month, raising hopes the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next year.
Wall Street's main indices edged higher in morning deals while Frankfurt and Paris were also up in the afternoon on the final trading day before Christmas.
London finished virtually unchanged in a holiday-shortened session, despite fears of recession as data showed the UK economy shrank in the third quarter and flatlined in the prior three months.
In the United States, government data showed the Fed's favoured measure of inflation slowed on lower energy prices.
The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index rose 2.6 percent from a year ago in November, markedly below October's 2.9 percent figure.
The Fed has held rates at a 22-year high following a series of hikes aimed at taming inflation. The central bank holds a policy meeting next month.
"The key takeaway from the report is that it threads the needle for a Fed aiming to bring down inflation with higher rates, but not tank the economy in the process," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare.
Equities have been on an upward trajectory in recent weeks as a string of US figures show inflation coming down and the jobs market softening, while the economy is easing but appears safe from recession.
Markets fizzed higher last week after the US central bank signalled it would at last start cutting interest rates next year, in a major dovish pivot as inflation slows in the world's biggest economy.
In Asia, stock markets diverged after China unveiled fresh plans to restrict online gaming.
The measures would put limits on recharging in-game wallets and abolish features meant to increase gameplay.
The news sent tech giant Tencent plunging more than 15 percent in Hong Kong at one point while rival Netease was briefly down more than 30 percent.
XD Inc sank around 20 percent, while there were also losses for Alibaba and Meituan.
Elsewhere, oil prices climbed on fears over Red Sea supply disruptions following attacks by Yemen's Huthi rebels against ships in the area.
- Key figures around 1355 GMT -
New York - Dow: UP 0.3 percent at 37,532.56 points
London - FTSE 100: FLAT at 7,697.51 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.1 percent at 7,578.10
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.1 percent at 16,706.41
EURO STOXX 50: FLAT at 4,522.70
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.1 percent at 33,169.05 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.7 percent at 16,340.41 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 2,914.78 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1037 from $1.1011 on Thursday
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 142.05 yen from 142.12 yen
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2735 from $1.2690
Euro/pound: DOWN at 86.69 pence from 86.77 pence
Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.2 percent at $80.32 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.4 percent at $74.89 per barrel
burs-lth/jm
P.Costa--AMWN