- '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
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
Stock markets climb with focus on inflation
Stock markets mostly advanced Wednesday as attention switched to inflation data, notably in the United States, and the outlook for interest-rate cuts.
Tokyo extended gains and Europe's main indices were solidly higher nearing the half-way stage, as traders digested an expected pickup to Britain's Consumer Prices Index.
"After UK inflation data this morning, all eyes turn to US CPI due out later today, which could provide some clues into whether the Fed will begin cutting rates in September," noted Victoria Scholar, head of investment at traders Interactive Investor.
"Analysts anticipate US annual inflation (for July) will come in at around three percent, in line with June's reading, potentially prompting the central bank to loosen monetary policy next month.
"This would likely provide some relief to the markets after last week’s fears of a US recession sparked a major bout of volatility," Scholar added.
Data on Tuesday showed US wholesale prices rose less than forecast last month.
Monetary policymakers are tipped to cut US rates by 25 basis points at their September meeting -- with some observers eyeing as much as 50 -- followed by at least one more cut before December.
"With the prospects of an imminent Fed easing cycle, key US data releases are taking centre stage and ahead of the US CPI release," said Rodrigo Catril at National Australia Bank.
Wall Street ended sharply higher Tuesday, with the Nasdaq jumping more than two percent on a rally in tech titans including Amazon, Nvidia and Apple, which sank earlier this month on worries their surge this year may have been overdone.
Oil prices extended losses, even as tensions continue to rise in the Middle East on fears Iran will retaliate against Israel after top leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas were assassinated in Tehran and Beirut in late July.
US President Joe Biden said Tuesday that a ceasefire deal in Gaza could deter Iran from launching an attack.
Luca Santos, at ACY Securities, said there were several reasons behind crude's current price movements.
He pointed to increased supplies, the United States tapping its strategic reserves and hopes that a full-blown conflict can be avoided.
Santos warned, however, that "any significant escalation could shake up oil supplies, leading to sharp price hikes and a return of risk-averse behaviour in the markets".
- Key figures around 1100 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.4 percent at 8,264.22 points
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.4 percent at 7,304.54
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.5 percent at 17,892.97
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.4 percent at 4,714.84
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.6 percent at 36,442.43 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.4 percent at 17,113.36 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.6 percent at 2,850.65 (close)
New York - Dow: UP 1.0 percent at 39,765.64 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1024 from $1.0998 on Tuesday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2843 from $1.2867
Dollar/yen: UP at 146.88 yen from 146.80 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 85.82 pence from 85.46 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.4 percent at $78.06 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.2 percent at $80.57 per barrel
L.Miller--AMWN