- 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
- Djokovic hails Nadal 'legacy' as Alcaraz in 'shock' over retirement
- Obama hits campaign trail for Harris
- Delta eyes Election Day travel pullback as profits climb
- Djokovic tells Nadal: 'Your legacy will live forever'
- Ethel Kennedy, wife of RFK, dead at 96
- Zelensky denies ceasefire with Russia under discussion on trip
European stock markets head into Easter break with slight gains
Europe's main stock markets advanced Thursday heading into an Easter break, after which focus was expected to stay with the outlook for interest rates.
Asian indices closed mixed after a Federal Reserve official floated the idea of delaying or reducing cuts to US interest rates, boosting the dollar.
The yen steadied having hit a 34-year low against the dollar on Wednesday. Oil prices rose more than one percent on persistent concerns over the possibility of tight supplies.
Major stock markets "are still hovering around record levels, and market optimism remains high", noted Pierre Veyret, analyst at ActivTrades.
"Investors continue to bet on upcoming rate cuts from central banks around the world."
The London, Paris and Frankfurt stock markets rose slightly in midday deals and ahead of closing on Friday and Monday for Easter.
A recent market rally has started to peter out as traders assess the outlook for US monetary policy, with a string of above-forecast inflation and economic data leading some to question whether the central bank can stick to its projection of three cuts this year.
Confidence has not been helped by comments from Fed officials in the past week.
Attention moves to the release Friday of the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index -- the Fed's preferred gauge of inflation -- which is expected to show a slight uptick.
Despite the worries over stubbornly-high inflation, all three main indices on Wall Street rose Wednesday, with the S&P 500 clocking another record high.
Tokyo finished with a loss of 1.5 percent Thursday as the yen stabilises a day after reaching its weakest level since 1990.
That followed comments from a Bank of Japan official warning monetary policy would remain accommodative for some time.
That comment came a week after the bank lifted interest rates for the first time in 17 years as it shifts away from its long-running ultra-loose monetary policy, while talk of the Fed putting off its rate cut has added upward pressure to the greenback.
The slide has fuelled speculation authorities will step in to support the unit, with Vice Finance Minister Masato Kanda warning that he was ready to do whatever was necessary.
- Key figures around 1215 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.3 percent at 7,952.37 points
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.2 at 8,223.63
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.1 percent at 18,500.32
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.2 percent at 5,091.46
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.5 percent at 40,168.07 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.9 percent at 16,541.42 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.6 percent at 3,010.66 (close)
New York - Dow: UP 1.2 percent at 39,760.08 (close)
Dollar/yen: UP at 151.36 yen from 151.34 yen on Wednesday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0786 from $1.0831
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2616 from $1.2641
Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.52 pence from 85.66 pence
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 1.3 percent at $87.23 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.3 percent at $82.42 per barrel
O.Johnson--AMWN