- Winning start for Poch's American adventure
- Morocco's tribeswomen see facial tattoo tradition fade
- Centre-left set to win as pro-Ukraine Lithuania votes
- Colombia guerilla group urges delegations not to attend COP16 in Cali
- Pakistan frets over security ahead of SCO summit
- Ronaldo scores 133rd Portugal goal in Nations League win over Poland
- 40 nations contributing to UN Lebanon peacekeeping force condemn 'attacks'
- Eight dead as heavy rain thrashes Brazil after long drought
- Jewish school in Canada hit by gunfire for second time
- Morocco crush Central African Republic, Guirassy scores hat-trick
- Dupont scores quickfire hat-trick on Toulouse Top 14 return
- Ronaldo scores in Portugal's Nations League win as Spain sink Denmark
- Interim boss Carsley has not applied for England job
- Mets hurler Senga ready to take on Dodgers in game one of NL Championship Series
- Ronaldo on target again as Portugal defeat Poland in Nations League
- Guardians rip Tigers 7-3 to advance in MLB playoffs
- AFP, BBC win top French war reporting awards
- Carsley goes back to basics as humbled England face Finland
- Alex Salmond: the man who took Scotland to the brink of independence
- Scotland's former leader Alex Salmond dies aged 69: party
- UN warns of catastrophe as Israel fights a two-front war
- Croatia extend Scotland's losing streak
- South Africa, New Zealand boost T20 World Cup semi-final hopes
- 'Very challenging': Israel faces Hezbollah in tricky terrain
- Farrell begins to feel at home as Racing 92 beat Toulon
- South Africa boost T20 World Cup semi-final hopes with Bangladesh win
- Samson ton powers India to T20 series sweep after record total
- Djokovic to face Sinner in Shanghai final with 100th title in sight
- UN peacekeepers to remain in Lebanon: spokesman
- Pro-Conquest film fuels debate in Mexico over colonial legacy
- Samson ton powers India to record 297-6 in Bangladesh T20
- New Zealand enjoy perfect start to America's Cup defence over Britain
- Pogacar emulates icon Coppi with fourth straight Il Lombardia triumph
- UN warns against 'catastrophic' regional conflict
- New Zealand crush Ineos Britannia in America's Cup opener
- Djokovic to face Sinner in blockbuster Shanghai Masters final
- With medical report Harris seeks to play health card against Trump
- Sri Lanka seeks to match success in W.Indies T20s
- Sinner reaches Shanghai final, will end year number one
- China-EU EV tariff talks in Brussels end with 'major differences': Beijing
- Sabalenka downs Gauff in three sets to reach Wuhan final
- Israel warns south Lebanon residents to 'not return'
- Sinner tames Machac to reach Shanghai Masters final
- Buried Nazi past haunts Athens on liberation anniversary
- Harris to release medical report confirming fitness for presidency: campaign
- Nobel prize a timely reminder, Hiroshima locals say
- Hezbollah fires at Israel as wars rage on Yom Kippur
- Analysts warn more detail needed on new China economic measures
- China tees up fresh spending to boost ailing economy
- China says will issue special bonds to boost ailing economy
Eurozone stock markets rally as data ignites rate-cut hope
Eurozone stock markets rallied Wednesday as a further drop in business activity across the single-currency bloc stoked hopes that the European Central Bank would cut interest rates this year.
Business activity fell in January for the eighth straight month, but the rate of decline slowed from December, a key survey showed.
The HCOB flash eurozone purchasing managers' index (PMI) published by S&P Global registered a figure of 47.9 in January from 47.6 in December. A figure below 50 indicates contraction.
In France, manufacturing and services sectors recorded steepening contractions as output fell at the sharpest rate since September. Business activity also slumped at a faster rate in Germany, the bloc's biggest economy.
- 'Good news?' -
"A bad news story is often more powerful than a good news story," noted Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading firm XTB.
"If the eurozone economy is facing a recession this year, as many expect, then the ECB can ride to the rescue, and they have room to cut interest rates."
London's benchmark FTSE 100 index also rose, but less aggressively than in the neighbouring eurozone approaching the mid-way mark.
UK business activity hit a seven-month high in January as a stronger service sector helped counteract supply disruption in the Red Sea.
S&P Global's flash UK PMI index rose to 52.5 in January from 52.1 in December. However, manufacturers saw production slump.
- Asia boost -
Elsewhere, most Asian markets rose Wednesday, with Hong Kong leading the pack for a second day following reports Alibaba's co-founders had bought huge stakes in the firm, while China announced fresh measures to boost bank lending.
The gains followed another record for the S&P 500 on Wall Street that came on the back of optimism over the US economic outlook and a positive run of earnings.
That has helped offset fading expectations the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates several times this year starting in March.
Hong Kong piled on more than three percent Wednesday, building on the previous day's gains of more than two percent.
The Hang Seng's rise was fuelled by a 7.3 percent surge in Alibaba on news that Jack Ma and Joseph Tsai had bought about $200 million worth of shares between them.
Traders were given an extra boost later Wednesday after the People's Bank of China (PBoC) said it would next month lower the amount of cash banks must keep in reserve as it looks to ramp up lending to help kick-start the stuttering economy.
The 0.5 percentage point cut in the reserve requirement ratio would pump an extra $140 billion into financial markets, the PBoC said.
On the downside, Tokyo stocks fell after Bank of Japan governor Kazuo Ueda stoked expectations it will move away from ultra-loose monetary policy.
- Key figures around 1120 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.4 percent at 7,515.39 points
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.8 percent at 7,450.26
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 1.2 percent at 16,823.18
EURO STOXX 50: UP 1.7 percent at 4,539.56
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.8 percent at 36,226.48 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 3.6 percent at 15,899.87 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.8 percent at 2,820.77 (close)
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.3 percent at 37,908.45 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0900 from $1.0854 on Tuesday
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 147.49 yen from 148.35 yen
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2746 from $1.2687
Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.50 pence from 85.55 pence
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.7 percent at $74.92 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.6 percent at $80.01 per barrel
A.Malone--AMWN