- 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'
- Israel observes Yom Kippur amid firestorm over Lebanon strikes
- Trump demonizes migrants in dark, misleading speech
- X says 'alert' to manipulation efforts after pro-Russia bots report
- US, European markets rise before Boeing unveils sweeping job cuts
- Small Quebec company dominates one part of NHL hockey: jerseys
- Comoros shock Tunisia, Salah, Mbeumo strike in AFCON qualifiers
Stock markets stumble as Fed crushes March rate cut hope
Most Asian and European stock markets fell Thursday following a Wall Street selloff, after the US Federal Reserve poured cold water on hopes for a March interest-rate cut.
The downbeat sentiment was compounded by disappointing earnings from US titans Microsoft and Google parent Alphabet, which pummelled the tech sector.
Fellow heavyweights Amazon, Apple and Meta post their results Thursday.
London's benchmark FTSE 100 index advanced, however, before a monetary policy decision from the Bank of England, which is expected to maintain its key interest rates as inflation stays high.
The Fed on Wednesday froze its rate for the same reason.
There was brighter news for the eurozone, where inflation slowed in January to 2.8 percent.
The European Central Bank left its rates unchanged at a meeting last week.
- 'Last thing investors wanted' -
"All it took was a single sentence from Fed chair Powell to cause equities to stumble," noted AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.
"That was the last thing investors wanted to hear," he added.
Major central banks had raised rates multiple times to combat decades-high inflation. Rates of price rises remains high, however, causing the likes of the Fed and ECB to sit tight.
The Fed on Wednesday said it was unlikely to start cutting "until it has gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably" towards its two percent target. That helped support the dollar.
Powell added after the gathering that "almost everyone" favoured a step down this year, but added, "I don't think it's likely that the committee will reach a level of confidence by the time of the March meeting to identify March as the time to cut".
Prior to the news, market bets on a March cut were about 50-50, and observers said the comments were seen as less dovish than expected.
Investors digested also mixed company results Thursday and awaited the outcome of an OPEC meeting. Oil prices were up nearly one percent.
Shares in British energy major Shell jumped three percent as dealers shrugged off slumping annual net profit to focus on better-than-expected adjusted earnings and share buybacks.
Deutsche Bank rallied 4.4 percent after it revealed plans to slash 3,500 jobs following a decline to annual profits.
French banking giant BNP Paribas tumbled eight percent as its struggles in consumer credit and real estate took the shine off a third-straight record annual profit.
- Key figures around 1115 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.4 percent at 7,663.39 points
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.7 percent at 7,601.90
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.3 percent at 16,860.45
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.2 percent at 4,637.48
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.8 percent at 36,011.46 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.5 percent at 15,566.21 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.6 percent at 2,770.74 (close)
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.8 percent at 38,150.30 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0801 from $1.0818 on Wednesday
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 146.85 yen from 146.92 yen
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2654 from $1.2688
Euro/pound: UP at 0.8535 from 0.8526 pence
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.8 percent at $76.48 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.9 percent at $81.19 per barrel
burs-rfj/bcp/lth
F.Pedersen--AMWN