- Russian prosecutor demands 3 years prison for French researcher
- 'Innocent' British nerve agent victim caught in global murder plot: inquiry
- Afghan Taliban vow to implement media ban on images of living things
- Russian prosecutor demands 3 years, 3 months jail for French researcher
- England ready for Pakistan's spin assault in second Test
- New Zealand's Ravindra excited for India Tests with father in crowd
- India's capital bans fireworks to curb air pollution
- Stocks diverge, oil retreats as China disappoints markets
- FIFA to open 'global dialogue' on transfer system after Diarra ruling
- Trio wins economics Nobel for work on wealth inequality
- Starmer vows to cut red tape as he urges foreign investors to 'back' UK
- Ex-Stasi officer jailed over 1974 Berlin border killing
- 'Not viable': Barcelona turns against surging tourism
- Hezbollah says targeted Israeli naval base after deadly drone strike
- Rice praises 'unbelievable' England interim boss Carsley despite uncertainty
- Nepali teenager hailed as hero after climbing world's 8,000m peaks
- England captain Stokes back from injury for second Pakistan Test
- Shanghai stocks gain after stimulus briefing as markets rally
- Shanghai stocks gain after stimulus briefing as Asian markets rally
- South Korea military says 'fully ready' as drone flights anger North
- Pakistan 'vigilantes' behind rise in online blasphemy cases
- Nearly 90, but opera legend Kabaivanska is still calling tune
- Smith experiment as Test opener over, Green out of India series
- With inflation down, ECB eyes faster tempo of rate cuts
- Is life possible on a Jupiter moon? NASA goes to investigate
- Dodgers crush Mets 9-0 in MLB playoff series opener
- South Korea military says 'fully ready' as drone tensions soar
- Cummins back, Marsh and Head out of Pakistan ODI series
- Shanghai stocks swing after stimulus briefing as most of Asia rises
- New Zealand's Latham promises 'no fear' as he takes charge for India Tests
- Kyrgios vows to 'shut up' doubters with December comeback
- Public hearings start into death of Brit by Russian nerve agent
- Ex-Stasi officer faces verdict over 1974 Berlin border killing
- Role of government, poverty research tipped for economics Nobel
- 'Stolen satire' feeds US election misinformation
- Rookie McCarty captures first PGA Tour title in Black Desert Championship
- Australia all-rounder Green ruled out of India Test series
- Seeing double in Nigeria's 'twins capital of the world'
- UK FM to attend EU foreign affairs talks for first time in 2 years
- Carter, Billups among 13 new Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
- Ravens rip Commanders as Lions lose NFL sacks leader in win
- Hezbollah drone strike kills four, wounds dozens at Israeli base
- China says launches military drills around Taiwan
- Stewart leads Liberty past Lynx to level WNBA Finals
- England return to winning ways in Nations League, Austria thrash Norway
- UN chief says attacks on UNIFIL 'may constitute a war crime'
- Ravens outlast Commanders while Bucs batter Saints in NFL
- Dozens hurt in Israel as Hezbollah claims drone strike
- England deserve 'world class' coach: Carsley
- Burkina Faso win to become first qualifiers for 2025 AFCON
Stocks diverge, oil retreats as China disappoints markets
Major stock markets diverged and oil prices fell more than two percent Monday as traders reacted to more weak data from China following a pledge by the country's finance minister to boost the world's second-biggest economy.
One of the week's key events, meanwhile, occurs Thursday when the European Central Bank is expected to lower interest rates again as anxiety about inflation in the eurozone fades and concerns over sluggish growth mount.
The euro was lower against the dollar and pound Monday, while the single-currency bloc's main Paris and Frankfurt stock markets opened the week by moving in opposite directions.
Outside the eurozone, London dipped after Shanghai closed higher and Hong Kong finished down Monday.
Wall Street experienced more record-highs Friday as strong US company earnings added to positive sentiment over the world's biggest economy ahead of the country's presidential election next month.
Oil prices slid Monday as concerns about the outlook for China's economy offset fears of escalating conflict in the crude-rich Middle East, analysts said.
"The devil is always in the detail and once again China has glossed over how it intends to accelerate economic growth," noted AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.
China's finance minister Lan Fo'an on Saturday said the country would issue special bonds to bolster banks, signalling an impending spending spree to shore up the property market and ease local government debt.
Harry Murphy Cruise, an economist at Moody's Analytics, said the announcement "ticked most of the right boxes, but it lacked detail on the scale and scope of new spending", adding that "we expect more supports to be announced through the remainder of the year".
Authorities have been seeking to boost domestic activity and shore up China's ailing property sector.
In recent weeks, Chinese policymakers have unveiled a string of measures to stimulate activity and spur household consumption.
Following the latest announcement, official data Sunday showed China's consumer inflation rate slowed in September, in a sign that demand remains fragile.
Separate figures Monday revealed that China's export growth slowed sharply in September while imports remained sluggish.
Investors are eyeing key Chinese data later in the week, including on retail sales, trade and economic growth.
"While the full effects of the recent economic measures may not be immediately evident in the upcoming data releases, these figures will provide more insight into how China's economy is faring and whether additional actions may be necessary," said Tony Sycamore, analyst at IG trading group.
- Key figures around 1045 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 8,247.49 points
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.4 percent at 7,550.18
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.2 percent at 19,412.50
Shanghai - Composite: UP 2.1 percent at 3,284.32 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.8 percent at 21,092.87 (close)
New York - Dow: UP 1.0 percent at 42,863.86 points (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: Closed for a holiday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0926 from $1.0941 on Friday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3054 from $1.3068
Dollar/yen: UP at 149.46 yen from 149.09 yen
Euro/pound: DOWN at 83.69 pence from 83.70 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 2.3 percent at $73.84 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 2.2 percent at $77.32 per barrel
L.Mason--AMWN