- 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
- 'Unspeakable horror': the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- Stock markets diverge before China weekend briefing
- Christian villagers 'trapped' in south Lebanon crossfire
- Sabalenka sets up Gauff showdown in Wuhan semis
- EU questions shopping app Temu over illegal products risk
- Kim Sei-young holds lead with late birdies at LPGA Shanghai
- Toulouse welcome Dupont 'boost' as Olympic star returns to Top 14
- Japanese atomic bomb survivor group Nihon Hidankyo wins Nobel Peace Prize
- Deadly Israeli strike on Beirut likely targeted Hezbollah security chief
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- Everest climber's remains believed found after 100 years
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- Clashes on South China Sea, Ukraine dominate Asia summit
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- Zelensky meets Pope, Scholz as whirlwind Europe tour ends
- Hello Hallyu: why is South Korean culture sweeping the globe?
- UK economy rebounds in August in boost to new govt
- Voice of Japan's beloved robot cat 'Doraemon' dies
- Shanghai markets sink ahead of briefing on mixed day for Asia
- Investors, analysts eye bigger China stimulus at Saturday briefing
- 20 Pakistan coal miners shot dead in attack: police
- Blinken condemns China's 'increasingly dangerous' sea moves
- Toyota returns to Formula One as Haas partner
- EU chief says China must 'adapt its behaviour' to solve trade row
- Musk unveils robotaxi, pledges it 'before 2027'
- Lynx rally, stun Liberty in overtime in WNBA Finals opener
- Pogacar hunting 'perfect' season finale with Coppi's Il Lombardia record
- 'Soul of old Baghdad': city centre sees timid revival
- Kittle at the double as Niners hold off Seahawks
- At least 11 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Yankees advance in MLB playoffs as Guardians stay alive
- Asian markets mixed after Wall St drop, Shanghai dips before briefing
- Automaker Stellantis says CEO will retire in 2026
- Musk's promised robotaxi unveil delayed
- Kamada says Japan can close in on World Cup place against Australia
- On US coast, wind power foes embrace 'Save the Whales' argument
- Renewables revolt in Sardinia, Italy's coal-fired island
- Argentina held, Brazil leave it late in 2026 World Cup qualifiers
- Obama blasts 'crazy' Trump in first rally for Harris
- 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, a plea in favour of world order?
- Fry homers as Guardians down Tigers to stay alive in MLB playoffs
- Japan PM presses China's Li on airspace intrusion
- In Trump 'Truths,' conspiracies, attacks -- and doubts about the election
Stocks slip before inflation report, as bitcoin hits fresh record
Global stock markets were mostly lower Monday, as traders prepared for fresh consumer inflation data that could provide new clarity on the US Federal Reserve's battle against rising prices.
Equities on both sides of the Atlantic have risen sharply since the start of the year amid a boom in enthusiasm for stocks linked to artificial intelligence, but the rally stalled last week as investors consolidated their recent gains.
The Fed has held its key lending rate at a 23-year high for months now as it looks to return inflation firmly to its long-run goal of two percent.
Tuesday's data will be closely watched for signs of whether January's monthly uptick in inflation was a one-off or if it proves to be more sustained.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was the only major Wall Street index to gain, rising 0.1 percent. Both the broad-based S&P 500 and the tech-rich Nasdaq fell.
"The market's a little anxious ahead of the February report, because it wants to be able to see that basically, the January surprise was not repeatable," Patrick O'Hare from Briefing.com told AFP.
Traders are now factoring in three US rate cuts this year, compared with six that were penciled in just three months ago.
"Much depends on any change in sentiment we may see after we get the latest US inflation updates tomorrow and Thursday," said David Morrison, senior market analyst at FCA.
- Bitcoin hits new high -
Bitcoin struck a fresh peak of more than $72,700 Monday as the world's most popular cryptocurrency won further support on greater trading accessibility, while gold prices also rose.
"Years of persistent inflation and the depreciation of fiat currencies have heightened interest in gold and bitcoin, viewed by many as the ultimate store of value and a reliable hedge against inflation," said Fawad Razaqzada, analyst at FOREX.com.
Bitcoin, sometimes referred to as BTC, has also been boosted by moves by US authorities and now regulators in Britain to allow exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for the popular cryptocurrency, opening it up to new classes of investors.
"The launch of BTC Spot ETFs has transformed the market structure, providing institutions with convenient, secure, and regulated entry points into the digital assets market," said Matteo Greco, analyst at Fineqia International. "Major financial institutions are now actively involved in holding and trading BTC."
- Japan tech sell-off -
Most major European markets also finished lower Monday, although London's FTSE 100 eked out a small gain of 0.1 percent.
On the corporate front, shares in Telecom Italia slumped nearly 10 percent following heavy losses last week on a badly received strategy update centered on reducing debt. The firm's shares closed down 4.6 percent, while the overall Milan market slipped by 0.3 percent.
In Asia, Japanese equities were weighed down by a tech sell-off after Friday's losses in New York, while exporters took a hit from a stronger yen as the Bank of Japan considers tightening monetary policy, in contrast to rivals gearing up for rate cuts.
Hong Kong and Shanghai rose, however, following figures showing a bigger-than-forecast jump in Chinese consumer prices last month.
- Key figures around 2130 GMT -
New York - Dow: UP 0.1 percent at 38,769.66 points (close)
New York - S&P 500: DOWN 0.1 percent at 5,117.94 (close)
New York - Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 0.4 percent at 16,019.27 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 7,669.23 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.1 percent at 8,019.73 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.4 percent at 17,746.27 (close)
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.6 percent at 4,930.42 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 2.2 percent at 38,820.49 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 1.4 percent at 16,587.57 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.7 percent at 3,068.46 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0929 from $1.0942 on Friday
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 146.96 yen from 147.06 yen
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2812 from $1.2854
Euro/pound: UP at 85.28 pence from 85.09 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.1 percent at $77.93 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.2 percent at $82.21 per barrel
burs-rl/gv/da/bfm
P.Martin--AMWN