- 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
- Boeing to cut 10% of workforce as it sees big Q3 loss
- Germany win in Nations League as 10-man Dutch rescue point
- Undav brace sends Germany to victory against Bosnia
- Israel says fired at 'threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- Want to film in Paris? No sexism allowed
- Ecuador's last mountain iceman dies at 80
- Milton leaves at least 16 dead, millions without power in Florida
- Senegal set to announce breakaway development agenda: PM
- UN says 2 peacekeepers wounded in south Lebanon explosions
- Injury-hit Australia thrash 'embarrassing' Pakistan at Women's T20 World Cup
- Internal TikTok documents show prioritization of traffic over well-being
- Israel says fired at 'immediate threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- New US coach Pochettino hails Pulisic but worries over workload
- Brazil orders closure of 2,000 betting sites
- UK govt urged to raise pro-democracy tycoon's case with China
- Sculptor Lalanne's animal creations sell for $59 mn
- From Tesla to Trump: Behind Musk's giant leap into politics
- US, European markets rise as investors weigh rates, earnings
- In Colombia, children trade plastic waste for school supplies
- Supercharged hurricanes trigger 'perfect storm' for disinformation
- JPMorgan Chase profits top estimates, bank sees 'resilient' US economy
- Djokovic proves staying power as he progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Sheffield Utd boss Wilder 'numb' after Baldock death
- Little progress at key meet ahead of COP29 climate summit
- Fans immerse themselves in Marina Abramovic's first China exhibition
- Israel says conducting review after UN peacekeepers wounded in Lebanon
- 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show
- Djokovic 'overwhelmed' after 'greatest rival' Nadal's retirement
- Zelensky in Berlin says hopes war with Russia will end next year
- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Djokovic proves staying power as progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Hurricane Milton leaves at least 16 dead as Florida cleans up
- Britain face 'ultimate challenge' in America's Cup duel with New Zealand
- Lebanon calls for 'immediate' ceasefire in Israel-Hezbollah war
- Nihon Hidankyo: Japan's A-bomb survivors awarded Nobel
- Thunberg leads pro-Palestinian, climate protest in Milan
- Boat captain rescued clinging to cooler in Gulf of Mexico after storm Milton
- Tears, warnings after Japan atomic survivors group win Nobel
Stocks waver after Nvidia-induced record rally
Global equities wavered Friday as investors digested a record-breaking week powered by US technology titan Nvidia's blockbuster results and the artificial intelligence boom.
Frankfurt, London and Paris turned flat and most Asian shares climbed, following a day of record highs in Japanese, US and eurozone markets.
Oil prices however sank on demand fears after Federal Reserve policymakers appeared to commit the US central bank to higher-for-longer interest rates.
And the price of natural gas in Europe fell to a near three-year low, dampening inflation fears, as mild winter weather continues and stockpiles hold up.
- AI bandwagon -
"The focus of financial markets in the last 48 hours has been Nvidia's earnings report and its upbeat commentary about the future take-up of AI," said XTB analyst Kathleen Brooks.
"Nvidia's market capitalisation gained $277 billion on Thursday alone, the biggest one day increase in market cap ever."
Markets celebrated Thursday as Nvidia helped boost Tokyo's benchmark index past a record high set in 1989, and the euphoria spilled over onto Wall Street.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq powered up three percent, while both the Dow and S&P 500 ended at fresh records. The blue-chip index lodged its first close above 39,000 points.
"The emergence of AI as a huge new source of investment and growth has come at a particularly advantageous time, enabling a continued push into record highs despite an unwelcome environment of tight monetary policy in the face of global inflationary pressures," added Scope Markets analyst Joshua Mahony.
In New York, Nvidia shares surged 16.4 percent on Thursday to lift its market value to almost $2 trillion, after reporting quarterly profits hit $12.3 billion on record high revenue.
"There are still investors who want to jump on the AI bandwagon, and they are doing this through Nvidia," added Brooks.
Other tech giants, including Facebook owner Meta, Amazon and Microsoft -- among Nvidia's largest customers -- also saw gains.
Investors meanwhile digested the outlook for US interest rates.
On Thursday, three Fed officials signalled interest rate cuts would more than likely come later this year, with one suggesting he wanted to see "at least another couple more months of inflation data" before deciding when to start lowering rates.
"Oil prices dipped... as the market absorbed the Fed's commitment to prolonging higher interest rates," noted ActivTrades analyst Ricardo Evangelista.
"The surprising resilience of the US economy, evident in the latest data, provides the Fed with greater leeway to sustain its restrictive monetary policy for an extended period.
"This dynamic constrains economic growth and suggests reduced future oil demand, contributing to the price decline."
Asian shares mostly rose Friday but Tokyo was closed for a public holiday, one day after the Nikkei 225's record finish.
- Key figures around 1140 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: FLAT at 7,680.01 points
Frankfurt - DAX: FLAT at 17,363.83
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.4 percent at 7,939.74
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.2 percent at 4,862.77
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: Closed for holiday
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.1 percent at 16,725.86
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.6 percent at 3,004.88
New York - Dow: UP 1.2 percent at 39,069.11 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0821 from $1.0823 on Thursday
Dollar/yen: UP at 150.75 yen from 150.53 yen
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2664 from $1.2660
Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.46 pence from 85.48 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.3 percent at $77.58 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 1.2 percent at $82.68 per barrel
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H.E.Young--AMWN