- 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
- China offers $325 bn in fiscal stimulus for ailing economy
- Dodgers drop Padres 2-0 to advance in MLB playoffs
- Alexei Navalny wrote he knew he would die in prison in new memoir
- Last-minute legal ruling allows betting on US election
- Despite hurricanes, Floridians refuse to leave 'paradise'
European stocks rally, but Wall Street and Hong Kong fizzle
Europe's main stock markets shot higher Friday, with Paris leading the way as shares in LVMH surged on record annual profits at the French luxury group.
By contrast, Hong Kong stocks slumped after rallying for much of the week, as traders awaited guidance on more Chinese stimulus.
And Wall Street's main indices were steady at the opening bell following more record finishes for the Dow and S&P 500 on Thursday and despite the US Federal Reserve's preferred gauge of inflation coming in as expected.
Oil prices fell as traders banked profits from a strong week for crude.
"European indices are on the rise, as stronger commodity and banking stocks help the FTSE 100, and French luxury retailers basked in the glow of a 10-percent (plus) gain for LVMH," noted Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets.
The world's largest luxury goods group soared 12.5 percent in Paris afternoon deals.
Frankfurt rose only slightly Friday after a survey showed consumer sentiment had soured at the start of the year in Germany, Europe's biggest economy.
In the United States, the Fed's preferred gauge of inflation -- the personal consumption expenditures index -- held steady last month at 2.6 percent on a headline bases, in line with expectations.
The core PCE Price Index -- which excludes volatile energy and food prices -- fell to 2.9 percent from 3.2 percent in November.
Investors closely track inflation and other data for clues on whether it could prompt the Fed to cut rates soon this year.
Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare noted that the inflation figure was the lowest since March 2021.
"The key takeaway from the report should be more Goldilocks than anything else: consumer spending is strong and core inflation, which the Fed is targeting, is moving toward the two percent target," he said.
O'Hare put the lacklustre reaction in the market down to the fact that the figures were expected.
"If anything, the market may have wanted 'more', so when the inflation gauges were only in-line with expectations, there was some selling on the news following the spirited move in the market this week," he said.
Figures Thursday showed the US economy expanded a much better-than-expected 3.3 percent in the last three months of the year thanks to a strong jobs market and consumer spending.
"There are no recession concerns here, and to make matters even better, we don't see any accompanying blowout growth in prices that are used in the GDP calculation," said Charles Hepworth at GAM Investments.
"Stronger growth without inflation is what everyone wants."
Michael Hewson of CMC Markets said the chances of a cut to US interest rates in March were slim, having been put at around 80 percent at the start of January.
"There is a danger that in cutting rates in March they drive market expectations of further cuts into overdrive, something they have been keen to push back on with recent commentary," he noted.
- Key figures around 1430 GMT -
New York - Dow: UP less than 0.1 percent at 38,080.07 points
New York - S&P 500: FLAT at 4,893.97
New York - Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 15,473.19
Paris - CAC 40: UP 2.3 percent at 7,633.20
London - FTSE 100: UP 1.4 percent at 7,644.67
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.2 percent at 16,941.47
EURO STOXX 50: UP 1.0 percent at 4,629.54
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.3 percent at 35,751.07 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.6 percent at 15,952.23 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.1 percent at 2,910.22 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0865 from $1.0885 on Thursday
Dollar/yen: UP at 147.84 yen from 147.51 yen
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2736 from $1.2726
Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.30 pence from 85.53 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.8 percent at $76.78 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.5 percent at $82.03 per barrel
burs-rl/lth
T.Ward--AMWN