- Biden, Harris mark Oct. 7 with call for Mideast peace
- Dupont set for Toulouse return after post-Olympic holiday
- French rugby bosses tighten discipline after nightmare Argentina tour
- Oil prices extend gains on Mideast tensions, Wall Street slips
- Visitors to get rare view of Rome's Trevi Fountain
- Europe's asteroid mission Hera launches despite hurricane
- Man City and Premier League both claim victory in legal case
- Deschamps delight as 'light back on' for Pogba after doping ban
- Biden, Harris urge Mideast peace on Oct. 7 anniversary
- Neeskens, tough midfielder in Cruyff's Ajax and Dutch teams
- UN warns world's water cycle becoming ever more erratic
- Oil prices extend gains on Mideast tensions, Wall Street retreats
- Ex-Dutch football star Johan Neeskens dies
- Man Utd battling to improve fortunes, says Evans
- What is microRNA? Nobel-winning discovery explained
- Masood, Abdullah centuries lift Pakistan to 328-4 in first England Test
- Hurricane Milton strengthens fast, threatens Mexico, Florida
- Tunisia's President Saied set for landslide election win
- Barca hoping to return to Camp Nou 'by end of year'
- Trump to open second golf course at Scotland resort in summer 2025
- Super-sub Jhon Duran rewarded with new Aston Villa deal
- US duo win Nobel for gene regulation breakthrough
- Masood hits first ton for four years to power Pakistan to 233-1
- Fritz wins delayed match to reach Shanghai Masters third round
- Naomi Osaka pulls out of Japan Open with back injury
- Weather may delay launch of mission to study deflected asteroid
- China to flesh out economic stimulus plans after bumper rally
- Artist Marina Abramovic hopes first China show offers tech respite
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on US jobs data
- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
RBGPF | -1.97% | 58.94 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.12% | 24.784 | $ | |
NGG | -1.23% | 65.69 | $ | |
SCS | -0.49% | 12.907 | $ | |
RYCEF | -1.45% | 6.88 | $ | |
RIO | -0.17% | 69.58 | $ | |
GSK | 0.08% | 38.85 | $ | |
CMSC | -0.17% | 24.657 | $ | |
VOD | 0.41% | 9.7 | $ | |
RELX | -0.59% | 46.02 | $ | |
BCC | 0.76% | 139.97 | $ | |
JRI | -0.23% | 13.25 | $ | |
BCE | -0.58% | 33.515 | $ | |
BP | 0.86% | 33.165 | $ | |
AZN | -0.41% | 77.15 | $ | |
BTI | -0.18% | 35.225 | $ |
Stock markets mostly higher before key earnings, rate calls
Leading stock markets mostly rose Tuesday ahead of a slew of interest-rate decisions and earnings from big companies.
The main New York indexes were all higher at the open. In Europe, London was slightly lower while continental exchanges were mostly up in afternoon deals.
The Federal Reserve is expected to leave US interest rates unchanged Wednesday, and its post-meeting statement will be pored over for confirmation that it will lower borrowing costs in September as inflation falls, with the extent of that cut open to debate.
"The market doesn't expect any change in rates, as the September meet remains favourite for the first cut in over four years," said David Morrison, analyst at Trade Nation.
"But investors will pay close attention to any shift in emphasis from the last FOMC statement, and Fed Chair Jerome Powell's subsequent press conference will be key," he said, referring to the central bank's policy-making Federal Open Market Committee.
Wednesday also sees the Bank of Japan make its own much-anticipated decision over interest rates.
The Tokyo stock market closed slightly up Tuesday, while the yen dropped versus the dollar.
London's FTSE 100 index was down in mid-afternoon amid some mixed British earnings and as traders gear up for the Bank of England's policy announcement Thursday, with analysts split on whether it will cut rates.
Shares in alcoholic drinks maker Diageo, owner of Guinness stout and Johnnie Walker whisky, dropped six percent after it reported slowing sales in some regions.
Standard Chartered shares rose six percent after the bank announced a share buyback along with strong half-year results.
Paris advanced following data showing the French economy expanded more than expected in the second quarter.
Frankfurt also rose despite data showing Germany's economy contracted in April-June.
In New York, focus ahead of the Fed's meeting will be on Microsoft as the world's second-largest listed company publishes its latest earnings, noted Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at traders Scope Markets.
"The story appears to be similar for many of these big tech names, with traders on the lookout for signs that the vast sums of money being invested in AI has started to pay dividends," Mahony said.
Markets had a rough ride last week after disappointing earnings from heavyweights Tesla and Google-parent Alphabet, which raised questions about the surge in tech giants that has helped power some indices to record highs this year.
And investors are steeling themselves for more reports this week from other titans, including Facebook-parent Meta, Apple and Amazon.
Starbucks earnings after the market closes in New York will be closely watched to judge consumer sentiment in the United States.
McDonald's on Monday posted a rare sales decline that the chain attributed to low-income consumers eating elsewhere as they look to save money.
Oil prices extended Monday's retreat on continued worries about demand owing to weakness in the Chinese economy.
"For now, concerns over the pace of economic growth, particularly in China and the US, have dampened prices," said Morrison. "It's just a question of where the sellers run out of puff."
- Key figures around 1340 GMT -
New York - Dow: UP 0.4 percent at 40,684.39
New York - S&P 500: UP 0.4 percent at 5,482.63
New York - Nasdaq composite: UP 0.5 percent at 17,461.88
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.2 percent at 8,276.0 points
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.7 percent at 7,494.29
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.6 percent at 18,428.64
Euro STOXX 50: UP 0.6 percent at 4,841.87
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.2 percent at 38,525.95 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.4 percent at 17,002.91 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.4 percent at 2,879.30 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0815 from $1.0826 on Monday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2833 from $1.2862
Dollar/yen: UP at 154.45 yen from 154.00 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 84.29 pence from 84.14 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.8 percent at $75.22 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.8 percent at $79.13 per barrel
Ch.Havering--AMWN