- Hezbollah strikes Israel, says it foiled Israeli incursions
- Jurgen Klopp to return as head of Red Bull football operations
- Sinner to face Medvedev in Shanghai Masters quarter-finals
- US weighs Google breakup in landmark trial
- Record-breaking Root guides England to 232-2 in reply to Pakistan's 556
- Japan PM dissolves parliament for 'honeymoon' snap election
- Chinese stocks tumble on stimulus upset, Asia tracks Wall St higher
- 7-Eleven owner confirms new takeover offer from Couche-Tard
- Goodbye Tito? Tomb at risk as Serbs argue over Yugoslav legacy
- Restoration experts piece together silent Sherlock Holmes mystery
- Sinner avoids Shanghai deja vu with assured Shelton win
- Pyongyang to 'permanently' shut border with South Korea
- Trumpet star Marsalis says jazz creates 'balance' in divided world
- No children left on Greece's famed but emptying island
- Nepali becomes youngest to climb world's 8,000m peaks
- Climate change made deadly Hurricane Helene more intense: study
- A US climate scientist sees hurricane Helene's devastation firsthand
- Padres edge Dodgers, Mets on the brink
- Can carbon credits help close coal plants?
- With EU funding, Tunisian farmer revives parched village
- Sega ninja game 'Shinobi' gets movie treatment
- Boeing suspends negotiations with striking workers
- 7-Eleven owner's shares spike on report of new buyout offer
- Your 'local everything': what 7-Eleven buyout battle means for Japan
- Three million UK children living below poverty line: study
- China's Jia brings film spanning love, change over decades to Busan
- Paying out disaster relief before climate catastrophe strikes
- Chinese shares drop on stimulus upset, Asia tracks Wall St higher
- SE Asian summit seeks progress on Myanmar civil war
- How climate funds helped Peru's women beekeepers stay afloat
- Nobel Peace Prize to be awarded as wars rage
- Pacific island nations swamped by global drug trade
- AI-aided research, new materials eyed for Nobel Chemistry Prize
- Mozambique elects new president in tense vote
- The US economy is solid: Why are voters gloomy?
- Balkan summit to rally support for struggling Ukraine
- New stadium gives Real Madrid a headache
- Alonso, Manaea shine as 'Miracle Mets' blitz Phillies
- Harris, Trump trade blows in US election media blitz
- Harry's Bar in Paris drinks to US straw-poll centenary
- Osama bin Laden's son Omar banned from returning to France
- Afghan man arrested for plotting US election day attack
- Brazil lifts ban on Musk's X, ending standoff over disinformation
- Harris holds slight edge nationally over Trump: poll
- Chelsea edge Real Madrid in Women's Champions League, Lyon win
- Japan PM to dissolve parliament for 'honeymoon' snap election
- 'Diego Lives': Immersive Maradona exhibit hits Barcelona
- Brazil Supreme Court lifts ban on Musk's X
- Scientists sound AI alarm after winning physics Nobel
- Six-year-old girl among missing after Brazil landslide
Most Asian markets extend global rally, oil rebounds
Asian equities mostly rose Friday to end the week on a strong note after a blockbuster rebound boosted by China's pledge of support for its markets, while unease over the Ukraine war helped oil extend a recovery.
After a painful start to the week, global stocks have enjoyed a massive bounce in the past few days thanks to optimism over peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv and after Beijing's signal that it was ready to shore up markets and ease off its tech crackdown.
And while the Federal Reserve announced the first of what many think will be seven interest rate hikes this year, traders have largely accounted for a period of tighter monetary policy.
Focus remains on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its impact on the global economy as surging commodity prices ramp up expectations of inflation, already at a 40-year high in the United States.
Talks between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will be closely followed, with the White House looking to get Beijing onside in trying to bring an end to the European conflict.
That comes as Russia appeared to play down reports of progress in talks with Ukraine on a ceasefire, while the Pentagon warned Vladimir Putin could threaten to use nuclear weapons if the conflict continues to drag on.
On equity markets, Asia struggled at the start of the day to keep up the momentum seen in New York but most recovered in the afternoon.
There were gains in Tokyo, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Bangkok and Wellington.
But Hong Kong dipped after soaring a mammoth 16 percent on Wednesday and Thursday in reaction to China's top economic official vowing measures to support beaten-down markets and indicated a regulatory drive against the tech sector was nearing its end.
London edged up at the open but Paris and Frankfurt dipped. US futures were slightly lower.
But while the extreme volatility that has characterised markets since Russia's invasion three weeks ago has died down for now, commentators remain cautious.
"I don't necessarily expect the rest of the year to be that easy," Lori Calvasina, of RBC Capital Markets LLC, told Bloomberg Television.
"Volatility is likely to stay elevated for quite some time", even as sentiment gauges "have been a screaming buy in some respects for quite some time".
The uncertainty over Ukraine, and reports that some lockdown measures in Chinese tech hub Shenzhen -- which helped fuel a markets selloff earlier this week -- were being eased early, has helped push oil prices back up above $100.
And Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said the commodity would probably remain elevated.
"Market internals suggest that oil's downside remains sticky even when Ukraine and Russia are inching towards peace," he said in a note. "So there is a genuine belief that even if the war does end, sanctions on Russia will likely persist, making oil supplies tougher to source for longer."
And Michael Hewson of CMC Markets added: "It's important to note that sentiment remains fragile, and that the risk of further escalation remains a real concern despite the gains of the last two weeks, as Russia continues to get bogged down by rugged Ukrainian resistance."
- Key figures around 0820 GMT -
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.4 percent at 21,412.40 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.7 percent at 26,827.43 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.1 percent at 3,251.07 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 7,400.82
Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.4 percent at $108.13 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.6 percent at $104.62 per barrel
Dollar/yen: UP at 118.91 yen from 118.64 yen late Thursday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1076 from $1.1095
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3151 from $1.3149
Euro/pound: DOWN at 84.21 pence from 84.35 pence
New York - DOW: UP 1.2 percent at 34,480.76 (close)
Ch.Havering--AMWN