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- Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Toddler among 4 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
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- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
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- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
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- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
Asian markets rally with Wall St after US inflation eases further
A surge in tech firms Thursday helped Asian markets track a Wall Street rally after data showed US inflation at a more than three-year low, reinforcing expectations the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next week.
The much-anticipated consumer price index allowed investors to breathe a sigh of relief after a tough couple of weeks that have been filled with worries about the world's top economy, as a weak run of jobs figures stoked recession fears.
While a report on wholesale prices is due later in the day, the main focus is now on next week's Fed policy decision and its post-meeting statement on the outlook for rates.
Bets are now surging on a 25-basis-point reduction, with talk of a 50-point shift muted by figures showing that core inflation had seen an unexpected uptick.
US traders welcomed the data and pushed all three main indexes higher, with the Nasdaq up more than two percent and the S&P 500 more than one percent.
The rally was fuelled by a big jump in the tech sector, with chip titan Nvidia rocketing more than eight percent, advanced Micro Devices almost five percent higher and Microsoft piling on 2.2 percent.
And the positive mood flowed through to Asia, where Tokyo led gainers and jumped more than three percent after seven days of losses, while Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta also enjoyed strong buying sentiment.
"A first rate cut in September should now trigger a new cycle of interest rate cuts," said Philipp Bartschi at Bank J. Safra Sarasin.
The advances were fanned by a rally among regional tech giants, particularly semiconductor manufacturers, who have wobbled in recent weeks on worries about the economy and high valuations following a scorching run-up in 2024.
In Tokyo, Advantest jumped seven percent and Hitachi more than four percent, TSMC was up 4.7 percent in Taipei and Seoul-traded SK hynix added six percent.
The spike in Japan's Nikkei was helped by a drop in the yen sparked by expectations US rates will only likely be cut by the smaller amount.
The yen had hit 140.71 per dollar at one point Wednesday -- its strongest in nine months -- after a top Bank of Japan official said it would press on with its monetary tightening if the economy and inflation act as expected.
The unit was also helped by improving odds on a Kamala Harris US presidency after she came out on top in her debate with Donald Trump, whose policies many observers see as being likely to strengthen the dollar.
Oil rose again, extending the previous day's gains of more than two percent that analysts said was helped by offshore platform production suspensions in the Gulf of Mexico caused by Hurricane Francine.
- Key figures around 0230 GMT -
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 2.8 percent at 36,605.62 (break)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 1.0 percent at 17,279.75
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 2,728.17
Dollar/yen: UP at 142.54 yen from 142.38 yen on Tuesday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1010 from $1.1018
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3035 from $1.3046
Euro/pound: UP at 84.46 pence from 84.43 pence
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.1 percent at $67.36 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.2 percent at $70.74 per barrel
New York - Dow: UP 0.3 percent at 40,861.71 (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.2 percent at 8,193.94 (close)
L.Davis--AMWN