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- Europe skipper Donald in talks with Garcia over Ryder return
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- Former US coach Berhalter named Chicago Fire head coach
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- Sparks fly as Orban berates EU 'elites' in parliament trip
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- Solanke hungry for second England cap after seven-year wait
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- 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
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- 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
US stocks back at records while European bourses retreat
Wall Street equity indices advanced to fresh records Tuesday as markets embraced commentary from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, while European bourses retreated on unease about upcoming French elections.
Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended at all-time highs following Powell's remarks at a panel discussion with other central bankers in Portugal where he noted pricing pressures have abated.
"We've made quite a bit of progress in bringing inflation back down to our target, while the labor market has remained strong and growth has continued," Powell said. "We want that process to continue."
Powell "said just enough to get the traders excited as he always does," said Steve Sosnick at Interactive Brokers. "Powell most always tends toward the dovish side or typically says something neutral, but traders take the part that they like to hear."
But bourses in Paris and Frankfurt both retreated amid concerns about the potential economic fallout should the far right win power in France in weekend elections.
London was also lower and the pound traded mixed heading into a UK general election Thursday which the opposition Labour Party is expected to win.
"Political concerns continue to weigh on European stocks," noted Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets.
Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at StoneX, noted that "the potential for (Marine) Le Pen's National Rally party to govern France is a key risk one cannot ignore."
Candidates in France on Tuesday faced a deadline to register for the runoff round of a high-stakes parliamentary election, as President Emmanuel Macron's centrist camp and a left-wing alliance scrambled to prevent the far-right from taking power.
On Sunday, French voters go to polls for the decisive final round of the snap election Macron called after his camp received a drubbing in European elections last month.
His gamble appears to have backfired, with the far-right National Rally (RN) of Marine Le Pen scoring a victory in the first round of voting last Sunday.
Ahead of the vote, official data Tuesday showed eurozone inflation cooled in June -- but experts said it would be insufficient to convince the European Central Bank, or ECB, to accelerate its rate-cutting cycle despite sluggish economic growth.
In Britain, the main opposition Labor party is this week on course to end 14 years of power by the Conservatives and the premiership of Rishi Sunak.
Elsewhere Tuesday, Asia's main stock markets closed higher, with Hong Kong enjoying a rare surge after a recent run of losses.
Tokyo piled on more than one percent to end above 40,000 points for the first time since April.
- Key figures around 2050 GMT -
New York - Dow: UP 0.4 percent at 39,331.85 (close)
New York - S&P 500: Up 0.6 percent at 5,509.01 (close)
New York -Nasdaq: UP 0.8 percent at 18,028.76 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.3 percent at 7,538.29 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.7 percent at 18,164.06 (close)
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.5 percent at 4,906.33 (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.6 percent at 8,121.20 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.1 percent at 40,074.69 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.3 percent at 17,769.14 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 2,997.01 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0749 from $1.0740 on Monday
Euro/pound: DOWN at 84.71 pence from 84.89 pence
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2686 from $1.2650
Dollar/yen: FLAT at 161.46 yen
Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.4 percent at $86.24 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.7 percent at $82.81 per barrel
burs-jmb/mdl
L.Miller--AMWN