- 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
- AC Milan's Pulisic among five out for USA match in Mexico
- France's Amandine Henry retires from international football
- Centre-left set to win pro-Ukraine Lithuania's vote
- India's World Cup hopes in Pakistan hands after Australia defeat
- Zelensky says NKorea sending troops to Russian army
- England beat Finland to get back on track
- King and Lewis propel West Indies to T20 triumph over Sri Lanka
- Pre-Halloween 'Terrifier' lands atop North America box office
- 'I still plan to compete and play next season,' says Djokovic
- Harris, Trump seek advantage in knife-edge election battle
- Chepngetich shatters women's marathon world record in Chicago
- Kamindu and Asalanka power Sri Lanka to 179 against West Indies
- Chepngetich shatters women's marathon world record as Korir wins in Chicago
- Spain send injured Yamal home 'to prioritise player's health'
- In milestone, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Iraq walks fine line with pro-Iran factions to avoid war
- Race four abandoned after New Zealand breeze into 3-0 lead in America's Cup
- West Indies win toss, put Sri Lanka in to bat in first T20
- Sudan rescuers say air strike killed 23 in Khartoum market
- Netanyahu tells UN to move Lebanon peacekeepers out of 'harm's way'
- Bangladeshi Hindus defy attack worries to celebrate festival
- Kiwis three up in America's Cup as Ineos pay for time penalty
- In a first, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Dominant England crush Scotland at Women's T20 World Cup
- Dropped: The rise and fall of Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam
- Israel fights Hezbollah on the ground, pounds Lebanon from the air
- Sabalenka outlasts local hero Zheng to win third Wuhan Open title
- Bangladeshi Hindus shrug off attack worries to celebrate festival
- Former Pakistan captain Azam dropped for second England Test
- 'Opportunist' Dupont dazzles on Toulouse return
- Australia replace injured Vlaeminck with Graham at Women's T20 World Cup
- Sinner wins Shanghai Masters to deny Djokovic 100th career title
- Ubisoft fears assassin's hit over falling sales
- Israel hits Lebanon from the air and fights Hezbollah on the ground
- China's Yin has 'goosebumps' as she romps to LPGA win in Shanghai
- Pakistan to re-use Multan pitch for second England Test
- Blair and King Charles hail Salmond's 'devotion' to Scotland
- Vietnam, China hold talks on calming South China Sea tensions
- SpaceX will try to 'catch' giant Starship rocket shortly before landing
Stocks drop as inflation fears mount, eyes on ECB
Equity markets mostly fell Thursday as inflation fears gain momentum, with all eyes on the outcome of a European Central Bank policy meeting aimed at tackling soaring consumer prices in the eurozone.
The ECB is expected to announce the end date to its bond-buying stimulus, as concerns over the accelerating pace of inflation in the eurozone grip policymakers.
The stop is a prelude to the ECB hiking interest rates for the first time in more than a decade, following in the footsteps of other central banks who are raising borrowing costs.
In foreign exchange, the euro steadied against the dollar and pound.
"There is a sense of nervousness ahead of the ECB's interest rate decision later today as the central bank looks to usher in a new era of monetary policy tightening," noted Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor.
"With euro-area inflation hitting a record high in May, the ECB is widely anticipated to begin hiking rates in July."
Inflation around the world has reached the highest levels in decades, fuelled largely by soaring oil and gas prices.
Energy demand has surged as economies emerge from pandemic lockdowns, while supplies have been hit by the invasion of Ukraine by major producer Russia.
Traders were also awaiting US inflation data due Friday.
Analysts expect the Federal Reserve to stick to its hawkish path and hike US interest rates by half a point for at least three more meetings this year as it tries to bring down American consumer prices.
"Until we reach peak inflation, which will trigger a less hawkish Fed and lower recession odds, it could be a gloomy summer for global stock pickers," forecast SPI Asset Management's Stephen Innes.
There was fresh uncertainty over the economic outlook in China as Covid fears linger over the world's second-biggest economy.
While data showed China's exports rebounded strongly in May, with factories restarting and supply chains untangling as Shanghai slowly emerged from a gruelling lockdown, the metropolis will Saturday shut a district of 2.7 million people for mass coronavirus testing.
"There are lingering concerns that China's brisk recovery could be a false dawn given that the zero-Covid strategy is staying firmly in place and that could mean rolling lockdowns will continue," noted Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Susannah Streeter.
- Key figures at around 1015 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.4 percent at 7,562.26 points
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.7 percent at 14,350.22
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.3 percent at 6,427.47
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.5 percent at 3,771.30
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: FLAT at 28,246.53 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.7 percent at 21,869.05 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.8 percent at 3,238.95 (close)
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.8 percent at 32,910.90 (close)
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 0.3 percent at $123.20 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.2 percent at $121.89 per barrel
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 133.30 yen from 134.29 yen late Wednesday
Euro/dollar: FLAT at $1.0720
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2526 from $1.2535
Euro/pound: UP at 85.58 pence from 85.54 pence
F.Schneider--AMWN