- 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
US stocks rise on strong growth data
Wall Street indices rose Thursday on the back of strong US economic growth data but European stocks diverged as the European Central Bank signalled it was too soon to start considering interest rate cuts.
The world's biggest economy expanded at a faster-than-expected annual rate of 3.3 percent in the fourth quarter, boosted by a resilient jobs market and consumer spending, the Commerce Department said.
Orders for manufactured goods held steady in December, according to a separate report.
"Markets are all about looking forward, and they have a good basis to be optimistic given the boost in confidence, manufacturing and housing data we've seen lately," said Callie Cox, US investment analyst at eToro.
The data raised hopes that the US economy is headed towards a "soft landing" -- meaning it could avoid a severe downturn despite interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve.
"A recession still isn't out of the question, and the Fed still has the economy in a vice. But as the days pass and data improves, it sure does look like the Fed is achieving a soft landing with minimal harm to the economy," Cox said.
Inflation has cooled in the United States and Europe, raising hopes that the Fed and ECB could soon start cutting interest rates that were hiked in efforts to tame consumer prices.
The ECB held its rates steady on Thursday and indicated they would stay at those levels for a "sufficiently long duration" to "make a substantial contribution" to returning inflation to its two-percent target.
The ECB's "decision was in line with expectations, but it does serve as a reminder that the next move from the ECB is not a straightforward decision," said Richard Flax, chief investment officer at Moneyfarm.
"The Eurozone economy remains fairly weak, while inflation remains above target, albeit drifting lower. The message from the ECB has been a cautious one -- compared to some of the more exuberant market expectations at the end of last year," he said.
Data showed business morale in Germany sank further in January, as the slump in Europe's largest economy showed few signs of passing quickly.
London's FTSE 100 index rose but Paris and Frankfurt were down in afternoon deals.
While US shares were setting new record highs, there were some concerns the recent rally may soon run its course.
"Equities have been propelled to new highs mainly because of the top 7 tech companies and the AI optimism," said Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at City Index.
"There is a risk that once this optimism fades, US markets may face a correction from these overbought levels," he added.
Leading tech stocks, including Microsoft, IBM and Google owner Alphabet, rose on Thursday.
But shares in electric car maker Tesla sank after Elon Musk's company missed earnings estimates in the fourth quarter and projected slower vehicle growth in 2024.
Oil prices climbed by more than one percent after a bigger-than-expected fall in US crude stockpiles. The dollar was little changed against most currencies.
- Key figures around 1430 GMT -
New York - Dow: UP 0.4 percent at 37,941.86 points
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 7,532.40
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.1 percent at 7,449.57
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.1 percent at 16,882.77
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.2 percent at 4,573.98
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: FLAT at 36,236.47 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 2.0 percent at 16,211.96 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 3.0 percent at 2,906.11 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0862 from $1.0883 on Wednesday
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 147.19 yen from 147.62 yen
Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.42 pence from 85.56 pence
Pound/dollar: FLAT at $1.2717
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 1.3 percent at $81.3 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.4 percent at $76.47 per barrel
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F.Bennett--AMWN