- 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
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- 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
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Toddler crushed to death in migrant Channel crossing
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
Oil prices, US jobs data weigh on stocks
A surge in oil prices to close to $93 per barrel as well as robust US jobs data weighed on stock prices Friday as they fuelled expectations central banks will move forcefully to raise interest rates.
Oil prices struck seven-year highs as traders bet on continued improvement in demand thanks to the economic reopening, and with the United States hit by a cold snap.
Lingering worries over Ukraine-Russia tensions were also playing a key role in the spike, with analysts predicting $100 could be breached soon.
But high oil prices would push inflation even higher, with central banks already under pressure to raise interest rates.
US data released Friday showed the US economy added 467,000 jobs in January, far more than had been expected given the renewed onslaught of Covid-19 infections caused by the Omicron variant.
"The key takeaway from the report is that it will inflame concerns about the Fed being behind the curve in fighting inflation," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick J. O'Hare.
The US Federal Reserve is expected to begin raising interest rates next month, but more analysts are expecting it may do so more agressively, by moving with half percentage point hikes rather than quarter point increases.
On Wall Street, both the Dow and S&P 500 were roughly flat in early trading. But the tech-heavy Nasdaq was higher thanks to better-than-expected earnings reports from Amazon, Snap and Pinterest.
Shares in Amazon jumped more than 10 percent as the company reported revenues jumped 9 percent to $137.4 billion in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, stocks were lower in Europe, where the European Central Bank's apparent shift in its outlook towards lifting rates this year itself stunned investors Thursday.
ECB chief Christine Lagarde had for months said inflationary pressures would be temporary and dissipate as the world economy reopens and supply chains resume -- allowing the bank to keep rates ultra-low this year.
But a record jump in eurozone prices last month and no sign of them easing has forced her to re-evaluate, saying the "situation had indeed changed".
The news boosted the euro -- the single currency recording a weekly gain of nearly three percent against the dollar.
But an ECB board member, French central bank chief Francois Villeroy de Galhau, warned against making predictions.
"If the direction of our trajectory is clear, no one should jump to conclusions about its time," he said.
- Key figures around 1430 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 7,220.96 points
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 1.6 percent at 15,116.21
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.7 percent at 6,954.47
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 1.2 percent at 4,091.03
New York - Dow: UP less than 0.1 percent at 35,125.39
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.7 percent at 27,439.99 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 3.2 percent at 24,573.29 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: Closed for a holiday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1426 from $1.1438 late Thursday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3524 from $1.3601
Euro/pound: UP at 84.43 pence from 84.06 pence
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 115.34 yen from 114.95 yen
Brent North Sea crude: UP 2.6 percent at $93.46 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 2.9 percent at $92.86 per barrel
Th.Berger--AMWN