- 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
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Asian, eurozone markets rise but inflation haunts outlook
Asian and eurozone stocks rose Thursday after a recovery on Wall Street, but investors remained cautious about the ongoing impact of skyrocketing inflation and the war in Ukraine.
Prices were already soaring in major economies when Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent shockwaves through the global energy, food and commodity markets.
Despite lingering concerns about the US Federal Reserve's next moves to contain prices, Wall Street enjoyed a buoyant session -- especially the tech-rich Nasdaq, which surged 2.0 percent.
Asia was in a similar mood Thursday as Tokyo closed 1.2 percent higher, while Hong Kong and Shanghai also ended in positive territory.
Sydney rose 0.6 percent as Australia posted its lowest unemployment rate -- a smidge under four percent -- in 48 years.
Seoul was flat, meanwhile, as South Korea's central bank raised its key interest rate to the highest level since August 2019 to tame rising inflation.
Analysts had warned overnight that the uncertainty was far from over.
"With a thicker fog of war starting to roll in and engulf the global markets again, it is another worrying setup amid the widespread bearish sentiment out there," Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a note.
Frankfurt and Paris opened higher as eyes turned to the European Central Bank policymakers meeting on Thursday, with the outlook for the eurozone economy still murky.
Elsewhere, London's FTSE 100 index dropped at the open.
- 'Countervailing forces' -
Data this week from the United States -- the world's biggest economy -- and Britain showed inflation at levels not seen in decades.
The grim outlook was reflected in the latest earnings report from JP Morgan Chase, the largest American bank by assets.
"There's this very strong underlying economy," its chief executive Jamie Dimon said.
But he pointed to "countervailing forces", including rising interest rates, inflation and the war in Ukraine.
"And those things are going to collide at one point, probably sometime next year," he said in a conference call with reporters.
"I'm not predicting a recession... But is it possible? Absolutely."
Analysts said, however, that markets had welcomed an indication that US inflation may be approaching its peak.
Both main oil contracts stayed above the $100 per barrel mark, with fears swirling about global supply constraints over the invasion of Ukraine by Russia -- a major producer of oil and gas.
"The oil complex is heavily fixated on the short-term," Vandana Hari of Singapore-based Vanda Insights told Bloomberg News.
"The prospect of an EU ban on Russian oil will keep the market on edge as long as Ukraine festers."
- Key figures around 0810 GMT -
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.2 percent at 27,172.00 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 0.7 percent at 21,518.08 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.2 percent at 3,225.64 (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.3 percent at 7,561.35
Euro/dollar: UP at 1.0911 from $1.0894 at 2100 GMT
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3136 from $1.3109
Euro/pound: UP at 83.07 pence from 83.03 pence
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 125.35 from 125.59
Oil - Brent: DOWN 1.1 percent at 107.63 per barrel
Oil - WTI: DOWN 1.2 percent at 102.98 per barrel
New York - Dow: UP 1.0 percent at 34,564.59 (close)
-- Bloomberg News contributed to this story --
F.Schneider--AMWN