- 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
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
US stocks bounce higher as jobs data reassures investors
US stocks snapped higher on Thursday as unemployment data eased recession concerns, while European and Asian equities struggled.
First-time claims for US unemployment benefits dropped last week by more than expected to 233,000, according to Labor Department data.
"The key takeaway from the report is that the downturn in initial jobless claims -- a leading indicator -- is helping to quell recession concerns," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare.
Data last Friday showed fewer than expected US jobs created in July, triggering concern that the Federal Reserve had waited too long to begin cutting interest rates and that the US economy could end up sliding into recession.
"Any data which suggests that the Fed isn't behind the curve in regards to its likely rate-cut in September is welcomed news for investors," said eToro US investment analyst Bret Kenwell.
US recession fears, combined with a spike in the value of the yen following a Japanese rate hike last week, sent global equity markets plunging Monday.
Since then, there have been rebounds and renewed losses as traders seek to weigh up the risks of recession in the United States, the world's biggest economy.
The yen has since fallen back after the Bank of Japan signaled a dovish approach on interest rates.
"Things have calmed down significantly," said Art Hogan of B. Riley Wealth, who said the volatility stems from uncertainty on whether signs of a slowing US economy show "normalization" or portend a recession.
In Europe, London and Paris closed lower Thursday but Frankfurt pushed higher, after Tokyo closed down 0.7 percent.
The Japanese index had tumbled more than 12 percent Monday before rocketing over 10 percent Tuesday, largely because of wild swings in the yen against the dollar.
Investors are also closely tracking corporate earnings.
Warner Bros. Discovery's share price plunged around nine percent Thursday after it reported a quarterly loss of almost $10 billion.
Almost all of the loss was down to a $9.1 billion write-down in the value of the US media giant's cable network, it announced in a statement, underscoring the challenges facing the legacy television industry.
But Eli Lilly surged 9.5 percent, boosted by strong sales of drugs that treat diabetes, weight loss and metastatic breast cancers.
- Key figures around 2030 GMT -
New York - Dow: UP 1.8 percent at 39,446.49 (close)
New York - S&P 500: UP 2.3 percent at 5,319.31 (close)
New York - Nasdaq Composite: UP 2.9 percent at 16,660.02 (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.3 percent at 8,144.97 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.3 percent at 7,247.45 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.4 percent at 17,680.40 (close)
Euro STOXX 50: FLAT at 4,668.74 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.7 percent at 34,831.15 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.1 percent at 16,891.83 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: FLAT at 2,869.90 (close)
Dollar/yen: UP at 147.20 yen from 146.68 yen on Wednesday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0921 from $1.0922
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2750 from $1.2692
Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.63 pence from 86.16 pence
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.3 percent at $76.19 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 1.1 percent at $79.16 per barrel
burs-jmb/aha
M.A.Colin--AMWN