- US states accuse TikTok of harming young users
- 'Evacuate now, now, now': Florida braces for next hurricane
- US Supreme Court skeptical of challenge to 'ghost guns' regulation
- Sparks fly as Orban berates EU 'elites' in parliament trip
- US finalizes rule to remove lead pipes within a decade
- Solanke hungry for second England cap after seven-year wait
- Gilded canopy restored at Vatican basilica
- Zverev scrapes through, Djokovic cruises to Shanghai Masters last 16
- Trump secretly sent Covid tests to Putin: Bob Woodward book
- Gauff answers critics: 'It's hard to win all the time'
- Neural networks, machine learning? Nobel-winning AI science explained
- China says raised 'serious concerns' with US over trade curbs
- Boeing delivers 27 MAX jets in September despite strike
- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free in 2025 after cleared of other sex crimes
- Italy seek Nations League consistency as Germany continue rebuild
- From boom to budgeting as reality bites for Saudi football
- Stock markets diverge as Hong Kong sinks, oil prices fall
- US trade gap narrowest in five months as imports slip
- Stay and 'you are going to die': Florida braces for next hurricane
- England 96-1 after Salman's century lifts Pakistan to 556
- Hollywood star Idris Elba champions African cinema in Ghana
- Djokovic rolls Cobolli to make Shanghai Masters last 16
- Milan's Hernandez receives two-game suspension after referee rant
- 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
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Stock markets rise but Netflix sinks
European and US stocks rose Wednesday as investors tracked developments in the Ukraine conflict and corporate earnings, with Netflix shares sinking after the streaming giant reported a drop in subscribers.
Oil rebounded slightly, having slumped the previous day on demand concerns.
"The upbeat market mood which helped Wall Street close firmly higher yesterday has followed through into Europe," City Index senior market analyst Fiona Cincotta told AFP.
Frankfurt won 1.2 percent and Paris rose 1.4 percent, aided by news of a return to growth in eurozone industrial output in February.
London was barely in the green, however, as drops in industrial metals prices hit mining shares.
Europe equities and oil had dropped Tuesday as Moscow launched its eastern offensive and after the International Monetary Fund slashed its global 2022 economic growth forecasts by 0.8 percentage points, largely over inflationary crises linked to the Ukraine war and the coronavirus pandemic.
"Whilst the Russian war remains a key driver in the markets, the bad news has been priced in for now," Cincotta said.
"Instead, some areas of optimism are arising with banks outperforming after the ECB (European Central Bank) soothed nerves with news that all big banks in the eurozone can withstand Russian write-offs," she added.
- Netflix 'shocker' -
Wall Street opened higher following Tuesday's rally on promising housing-starts data and solid earnings, with the Dow adding 0.7 percent.
But Netflix shares slumped after the streaming giant reported its first drop in quarterly subscriptions in a decade, blaming the quarter-over-quarter erosion to suspension of its service in Russia due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
"There is no two ways to look at it, Netflix was a shocker and is likely to take the wind out of the Nasdaq’s recent rally, or at least put it on pause," Cincotta said.
The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.4 percent as trading got underway, however.
"That said, broadly speaking earnings season has been reasonably solid so far, economic data hasn't revealed any major cracks either, which is helping to keep risk sentiment buoyant," she added.
In Asia trading, concerns about China's economy hit trading in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Shanghai's main stocks index was Asia's biggest faller, losing 1.4 percent as the People's Bank of China (PBoC) kept key lending rates unchanged amid uncertainty over the impact of ongoing Chinese Covid restrictions.
Hong Kong -- which plummeted on Tuesday over concerns about Beijing's ongoing tech-sector crackdown -- also ended down.
"PBoC policymakers realise the futility of cutting rates during a lockdown as policies incentivising lending will have minimal a short-term positive impact on activity so long as mobility restrictions remain in place," noted independent analyst Stephen Innes.
- Key figures around 1330 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: UP less than 0.1 percent at 7,606.05 points
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 1.2 percent at 14,320.62
Paris - CAC 40: UP 1.4 percent at 6,626.63
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.6 percent at 3,766.81
New York - Dow: UP 0.7 percent at 35,144.31
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.86 percent at 27,217.85 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 1.4 percent at 3,151.05 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.4 percent at 20,944.67 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0840 from $1.0788 late on Tuesday
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 127.81 yen from 128.91 yen
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3058 from $1.2998
Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.97 pence from 82.99 pence
Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.7 percent at $107.99 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.8 percent at $102.83 per barrel
burs-rl/lth
J.Oliveira--AMWN