- No.1 Korda opens Solheim Cup for USA versus Hull and Henseleit
- Trump rules out new Harris debate as swing state fight resumes
- Bomb threat rattles US city in Republican anti-migrant conspiracy
- ECB rate cut boosts European stocks as Wall Street extends rally
- Alvarez aims to stop knockout artist Berlanga in latest title defence
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- Cooler weather helps, but Los Angeles fires still out of control
- Macron, ex-PM remember bloody liberation of French port
- Noel Gallagher's 'Brit Pop' guitars go under hammer
- US clears way for hearing aid feature in new Apple AirPods Pro
- Hamilton not disappointed by Newey move to Aston Martin
- Final report clears WADA in Chinese swimmers case, adds rules need strengthening
- US calls for Africa to get two permanent UN Security Council seats
- Burrow's Bengals aim to bounce back against Chiefs
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- Putin warns West risks 'war' if it backs Ukraine long-range strikes
- Peru mourns divisive former strongman Fujimori
- Vaughan's son takes 11 wickets as Somerset revive title bid by beating champions Surrey
- Long-awaited case on Man City charges to start on Monday: report
- PSG refuse League order to pay Mbappe disputed €55 million
- Harris, Trump target swing states after fierce debate
- Ten Hag hits back at Ronaldo criticism over Man Utd ambition
- Oscar hopefuls to bookend US French film festival
- UN chief calls for 'courage' ahead of Summit of the Future
- French rugby federation blames 'poorly managed' supervision for youth player drowning
- Movie producer Harvey Weinstein indicted on new charges: US media
- Ex-Scotland captain Hogg to miss Montpellier match after bail release
- 'Historic': Bad weather slashes wine harvest in France's Jura
- ECB rate cut boosts European stocks, euro
- Piastri not 'pulling over' for Norris at every race
- 'Energised' Tebogo looking to close season with Diamond League bang
- Millions in SE Asia battle floods, death toll passes 250
- Fiat 500 electric production pauses for one month
- London Fashion Week opens with Charli XCX party and second-hand runways
- ECB cuts rates again, Lagarde backs EU reform call
- Storm Francine downgraded but still drenching US south
- Everton say 'work to be done' on Textor takeover
- Shelling kills 3 Red Cross workers in E.Ukraine
- Shelling kills 3 Red Cross workers killed in E.Ukraine
- Iran president makes 'historic' visit to Iraqi Kurdistan
- Brigitte Macron awarded damages over false trans claim
- ECB rate cut boosts Europeans stocks, euro
- Deadly Israeli strike on Gaza school draws global condemnation
- Russia recaptures part of Kursk region
- Bike-loving Dutch grapple with 'fatbike' phenomena
- Ahead of Champions League warm-up, PSG are soaring and Brest slumping
- ECB cuts rates again as inflation slows
- Denmark's von Trier to direct a new film
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- Jon Bon Jovi helps woman standing on edge of US bridge
Stocks mostly rise as Powell speech looms
Asian and European stock markets mostly rose Friday hours before a much-anticipated speech by US Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell that could shed more light on expected interest-rate cuts.
The dollar fell against other major currencies including the yen, which strengthened after Bank of Japan chief Kazuo Ueda signalled that Japanese rates could rise again.
Investors have been on tenterhooks all week ahead of Powell's address at the annual symposium of central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on Friday.
Powell has already indicated that a reduction could come as soon as September, but traders want to hear fresh signals from the Fed chief following a slew of data that raised recession fears and rocked the markets earlier this month.
The Fed has kept its rates at a 23-year high after raising them in efforts to combat inflation, which has cooled, while central banks in Europe have started to cut theirs.
Speculation is rife about how big, or small, the first US cut might be. Most analysts expect a reduction of a quarter-percentage-point but some traders hope for as much as half-a-point.
"For investors, the big question is to what extent Powell validates expectations for a September rate cut, and whether he offers any indication of how big any rate cut might be," said a Deutsche Bank note.
Powell's speech comes after three Fed officials said they wanted to see more data before agreeing to a rate cut.
Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at Swissquote Bank, said Powell "is expected to douse the jumbo rate cut expectations because there is no reason for the Fed to start cutting the interest rates by big chunks in the absence of a severe economic slowdown, market stress, or a crisis."
Data released this week showed a robust US services industry but also a rise in jobless claims and a cooler-than-expected labour market.
European markets were up in midday trading while Asia finished mixed, with Tokyo and Shanghai in the green and Hong Kong in the red.
Wall Street's three main indexes ended in the red on Thursday.
- BoJ hike signal -
While other major central banks are easing their rates, the Bank of Japan made its second hike in 17 years in late July, a move that caused the yen to rise and contributed to a market rout.
Ueda told Japanese lawmakers on Friday that the BoJ could hike rates again if inflation and the economy performed as expected, and the yen rose against the dollar following his remarks.
A stronger yen makes it less attractive for investors who use the cheaper currency to buy higher-yielding assets such as stocks, a practice known as "yen carry trade".
The last rate hike caused investors to rollback such trades.
In company news, shares in Alibaba rallied after the Chinese e-commerce giant said it would upgrade its Hong Kong-listed shares to primary status, opening it up to China's huge army of investors.
In Europe, Nestle shares fell after the surprise exit of its chief executive, Mark Schneider, following slowing sales and negative headlines at the Swiss food giant.
- Key figures around 1100 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.4 percent at 8,317.43 points
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.6 percent at 7,570.07
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.6 percent at 18,610.83
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.4 percent at 38,364.27 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.2 percent at 17,612.10 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 2,854.37 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 8,302.76
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 146.01 yen from 146.27 yen on Thursday
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1120 from $1.1115
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3120 from $1.3092
Euro/pound: DOWN at 84.74 pence from 84.87 pence
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.1 percent at $73.83 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 1.1 percent at $78.03 per barrel
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.4 percent at 40,712.78 (close)
Y.Kobayashi--AMWN