- Zelensky to meet Pope, Scholz as whirlwind Europe tour ends
- At least 10 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Far from eye, Hurricane Milton's deadly tornados rampaged Florida
- At least 10 dead in Florida after Hurricane Milton spawns tornadoes
- Argentina held, Bolivia stun Colombia in 2026 qualifiers
- Socceroos have 'nothing to fear' from Japan
- Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial set for May 2025
- Bolivia stun Colombia in World Cup qualifiers
- Internet Archive reels from 'catastrophic' cyberattack, data breach
- Greece earn late win against England in Nations League, Italy-Belgium stalemate
- Trump biopic 'The Apprentice' hits US theaters weeks before election
- Pavlidis dedicates 'special' Greece win over England to tragic Baldock
- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- 'Like a quake': Beirut shaken after deadliest strikes on centre
- Fallen giants Ghana in AFCON trouble after Sudan draw
- Asian leaders meet in Laos with US, Russia on world turmoil
- England gamble backfires as Pavlidis fires emotional Greece to victory
- Obama stumps for Harris, Trump talks US protectionism
- New-look France ease past Israel in Nations League
- Belgium fight back to draw with 10-man Italy in Nations League
- 'Get a life': Hurricane whips up US election storm
- Japan stay perfect in World Cup qualifying
- Relief as Lebanon evacuees dock in Turkey
- Lebanon says 22 dead in Israeli strikes on central Beirut
- NBA boss Silver sees games back in China 'at some point'
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Table tennis and Netflix push Ukraine teen into French Open contention
- Civilians flee Gaza's Jabalia in tightening Israeli siege
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 18
- At least 10 dead in Florida from tornadoes caused by Hurricane Milton
- Warhol's rare 'Queen' collection opens at Dutch museum
- Three-time NBA champion Green retires
- MLB Twins up for sale after 40 years
- S.Sudan floods affect 893,000, over 241,000 displaced: UN
- Solar storm could impact US hurricane recovery efforts: agency
- Windies sweat on injury to 'crucial' Taylor at World Cup
- Lebanon says 11 dead, 48 injured in Israeli strikes on Beirut
- Panama lashes out at EU over tax haven 'outrage'
- Erdogan says Gaza 'shame of humanity', calls for permanent ceasfire
- TD Bank to pay more than $3 bn to US in money-laundering case
- SAfrica prosecutors drop criminal complaint against president
- 'Good opportunity': Nagelsmann upbeat despite Germany's long injury list
- Hurricane whips up bitter US election battle
- Cameroon bans media talk of president's health amid rumours
- NFL MVP Jackson and rookie phenom Daniels set for showdown
- Chad's capital under threat as floodwaters rise
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit central Beirut
- No answers on strike on reporters in Lebanon one year on: watchdog
- Ramharack picks four wickets as Windies beat Bangladesh in Women's T20 World Cup
- France's City of Light switches to climate-resilient power cables
Stock markets mostly rise as US data comforts rate outlook
Global stock markets mostly rose Tuesday as US data comforted expectations that the Federal Reserve will be able to cut interest rates in the world's top economy.
Data showed US durable goods ordered rebounded slightly more than expected in February, but by much less than the fall in January.
Meanwhile, data showed that US consumers' assessment of their current situation improved in March, but that they became more pessimistic about the future and their expectations to buy big-ticket items, autos and homes in the coming six months fell further.
Signs that US economic growth is moderating will help provide cover for US monetary policymakers to cut interest rates.
Recent guidance from the Federal Reserve pointed to three cuts before the end of the year. But strong economic data and comments from some central bank officials have fuelled worries it could come up short.
Analysts and investors will be keenly awaiting for the release US inflation data at the end of the week.
Investors are also gearing up for the first-quarter earnings season, with some observers warning that profit expectations, which have helped push several markets to record highs, may have gone too far and disappointing reports could spark a pullback in equities.
But other analysts think the rally has yet to run its course.
While many consider US equities to be overbought, "there are still many investors who have felt unable to take on enough long-side exposure to benefit from the rally which began in late October," said David Morrison at Trade Nation.
"And as more investors close their eyes, hold their noses and dive in, prices should continue to melt up."
Elsewhere on Tuesday, oil prices steadied after Monday's rally on worries about potential tight supplies.
New York cocoa prices breached $10,000 per tonne for the first time, and have more than doubled since the start of the year, due to poor harvests in leading producing nations.
"Chocolate is the new luxury good in town, and we expect that sweet treats will see their prices surge in response to this massive price rise," said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB.
"This has also pummeled chocolate makers around the world," she added, with shares in Hershey and Cadbury's owner Mondelez International both trading lower.
Meanwhile, debt-ridden French IT group Atos, the cybersecurity and data provider for the Paris Olympics, posted a huge annual loss but vowed that its troubles would not disrupt the Games.
The company reported a net loss of 3.4 billion euros ($3.7 billion) for 2023 on asset writedowns and said it was aiming for a debt restructuring by July.
Atos shares fell by nearly seven percent but recovered ground to end the day down 1.5 percent at 1.69 euros. The company's stock has plummeted from around 15 euros in July last year.
- Key figures around 1630 GMT -
New York - Dow: UP 0.3 percent at 39,421.62 points
New York - S&P 500: UP 0.3 percent at 5,231.04
New York - Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 16,435.62
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 7,930.96 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.4 percent at 8,184.75 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.7 percent at 18,384.35 (close)
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.4 percent at 5,064.18 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: FLAT at 40,398.03 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.9 percent at 16,618.32 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 3,031.48 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0829 from $1.0841
Dollar/yen: UP at 151.48 yen from 151.42 yen on Monday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2629 from $1.2638
Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.74 pence from 85.76 pence
Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.2 percent at $86.61 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP less than 0.1 percent at $82.02 per barrel
burs-rl/cw
D.Moore--AMWN