- Geoffrey Hinton, soft-spoken godfather of AI
- Ex-Barcelona and Spain great Iniesta retires aged 40
- Duo wins Physics Nobel for 'foundational' AI breakthroughs
- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free in 2025 after cleared of separate sex crimes
- China slaps provisional tariffs on EU brandy imports
- Ex-skipper Skelton eyes Wallabies November return
- Spanish great Iniesta leaves indelible legacy after retirement
- Indian Kashmir elects first regional government in a decade
- Hong Kong stocks crash, oil prices retreat on fading China boost
- Man City accuse Premier League of 'misleading' claims after legal case
- Duo wins Physics Nobel for key breakthroughs in AI
- Agha defies England as Pakistan post 515-8 in first Test
- September second-warmest on record: EU climate monitor
- Pastor wanted by US for sex trafficking to run for Philippine senate
- Mozambican writer Mia Couto dreams future leaders set an 'example'
- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free soon after cleared of separate sex crimes
- China says to take anti-dumping measures against EU brandy imports
- German suspect in 'Maddie' case cleared in separate sex crimes trial
- Israel expands offensive against Hezbollah in south Lebanon
- China stocks rally fizzles on stimulus worries amid Asia retreat
- Bangladesh's Yunus says no elections before reforms
- England strike twice as Pakistan reach 397-6 at lunch in first Test
- China stocks rally peters out on stimulus worries amid Asia retreat
- Taiwan's Foxconn says building world's largest 'superchip' plant
- Kenya's deputy president faces impeachment vote
- N. Korean soldiers 'highly likely' killed in Ukraine: Seoul
- 'Appeals Centre' to referee EU social media disputes
- US Supreme Court to hear 'ghost guns' regulation case
- 'Small' oil leaks detected in Samoa after NZ navy shipwreck
- Nobel literature jury may go for non-Western writer
- At Istanbul church, blessed spring offers hope to Christians and Muslims
- From Bolivia to Indonesia, deforestation continues apace
- Myanmar to send rep to regional summit for first time in three years
- Prabowo set to lead bolder Indonesia on world stage
- Tampa zoo rushes Chompers the porcupine and others to safety as Milton nears
- Shanghai stocks pare early surge on stimulus worries amid Asia retreat
- New Japan PM to hold talks on ASEAN sidelines
- Record number of climbers chase 14-peak dream in Tibet
- Former South Korea clinic for US 'comfort women' to be demolished
- China holds off on fresh stimulus but 'confident' will hit growth target
- Chiefs battle past Saints to stay unbeaten
- Deal on climate aid hangs in balance at UN COP29 summit
- Royals hit back against Yankees, Tigers maul Guardians
- German suspect in 'Maddie' case faces verdict in sex crimes trial
- Top economic official 'confident' China will hit 2024 growth target
- COP29 fight looms over climate funds for developing world
- Shanghai stocks soar to extend stimulus rally amid Asia-wide drop
- Australia moves to expand Antarctic marine park
- Tragedy of Madrid street sweeper highlights how heatwaves kill
- Survivors wait for aid as Trump's lies help cloud Helene response
CMSC | -0.53% | 24.57 | $ | |
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Global stocks mostly up despite another historic inflation report
Stock markets mostly rose and oil prices climbed Wednesday as investors pored over data showing further spikes to inflation.
A day after a report showed US annual consumer inflation in March hit the highest since December 1981, another release showed wholesale price inflation hit a record annual rate of 11.2 percent.
Meanwhile in Britain, data showed that UK prices had jumped at the fastest pace in three decades in March.
Global inflation, already rocketing on supply constraints as economies look to fully reopen following pandemic lockdowns, is rising further on fallout from the Ukraine war.
Analysts said markets had welcomed an indication that US inflation was approaching its peak, though it has raised expectations that the Federal Reserve will take more aggressive action to contain prices.
Still, Wall Street enjoyed a buoyant session, with the broad-based S&P 500 piling on 1.1 percent.
Chris Low of FHN Financial said investors want to balance their portfolios after selling off shares in anticipation of the worrisome inflation data.
"People were short going into the week, but they don't want to be short for the holiday weekend," Low said.
US markets will be closed on Friday for Good Friday.
In Europe, London and Paris ended the day barely in positive territory, while Frankfurt dipped.
The gains on Wall Street also came despite a lackluster start to the corporate earnings season, as JPMorgan Chase saw its first-quarter net profit plunge by more than 40 percent as it set $900 million aside to deal with potential losses due to the Ukraine conflict and inflation.
Shares in JPMorgan Chase fell 3.2 percent.
Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines surged 6.2 percent as it reported a quarterly loss of $940 million, but said healthy consumer demand was translating into strong enough pricing to offset spiking fuel costs
- Oil rises -
Oil prices climbed further in a volatile trading week.
"Having rebounded strongly yesterday, oil prices are showing little sign of softening after Russian President Vladimir Putin said that peace talks with Ukraine were a 'dead-end situation'," said market analyst Michael Hewson at CMC Markets UK.
Russia is a major producer of oil and gas and the war has triggered fears of supply constraints.
In currency trading, the yen hit its lowest level against the dollar in two decades, extending recent falls as the gap widens between Japan's ultra-loose monetary policy and Fed tightening.
Despite being traditionally considered a haven currency, uncertainty fueled by the war in Ukraine has not caused the yen to strengthen.
Instead, the Fed's move towards a more aggressive rate-tightening policy and the shock of rising oil prices in Japan -- a major importer of fossil fuels -- have pushed the currency lower, analysts said.
- Key figures around 2100 GMT -
New York - Dow: UP 1.0 percent at 34,564.59 (close)
New York - S&P 500: UP 1.1 percent at 4,446.59 (close)
New York - Nasdaq: UP 2.0 percent at 13,643.59 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 7,580.80 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.1 percent at 6,542.14 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.3 percent at 14,076.44 (close)
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,827.96 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.9 percent at 26,843.49 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.3 percent at 21,374.37 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.8 percent at 3,186.82 (close)
Brent North Sea crude: UP 4.0 percent at $108.78 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 3.6 percent at $104.25 per barrel
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0894 from $1.0828
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3109 from $1.3001
Euro/pound: DOWN at 83.03 pence from 83.29 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 125.59 from 125.38 yen
burs-jmb
Y.Nakamura--AMWN