- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- 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
- 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
Stocks advance on strong earnings, oil flat before OPEC+
European stock markets rose Wednesday following strong global earnings that lifted Asian and Wall Street equities overnight.
Soaring profits at Google parent Alphabet and an upgraded earnings forecast by Sony helped lift sentiment ahead of monetary policy announcements Thursday from the European Central Bank and Bank of England.
Before then, all eyes will be on the OPEC+ oil cartel, which on Wednesday is expected to stick to its guns and increase output only modestly after the price of crude recently soared to multi-year highs.
"European (stocks) markets continue their February ascent, attempting to build on recent bullish momentum after January's rout," noted Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor.
Oil prices steadied after recent strong gains as Russia-Ukraine tensions fanned supply worries, adding to expectations that a global economic recovery will spur further demand improvements.
As in January, analysts expect the 23 member nations forming OPEC+, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, to announce additional output.
"Anything other than a decision to raise output by a further 400,000 barrels per day would come as a big surprise," said Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch.
He added there was speculation "OPEC+ could opt to scale up its oil supply to a greater extent in response to the high prices and tight market".
- Lunar New Year -
Asian stock markets closed higher as investors become less worried about the Federal Reserve's plans to tighten monetary policy, while strong corporate results lifted optimism about the outlook.
And while there remains plenty of volatility and uncertainty on trading floors owing to geopolitical tensions and the Omicron spread, analysts remain upbeat for the year.
Asian equities trading remained thin owing to the Lunar New Year break.
Of the markets that opened Wednesday, Tokyo, Sydney, Wellington, Jakarta and Manila all gained more than one percent.
After a torrid January, world stock markets have enjoyed a strong start to February as investors hunt for bargains, according to analysts.
As well as Thursday's European updates on interest rates, traders await the pre-weekend release of US jobs data providing the latest snapshot of the world's biggest economy.
The dollar has come off the boil against main rivals after recent strong gains on expectations of aggressive Fed interest-rate hikes to combat soaring inflation.
- Key figures around 1000 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.8 percent at 7,595.97 points
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.7 percent at 15,729.85
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.7 percent at 7,146.70
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.8 percent at 4,257.81
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.7 percent at 27,533.60 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: Closed for a holiday
Shanghai - Composite: Closed for a holiday
New York - Dow: UP 0.8 percent at 35,405.24 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1296 from $1.1269 late Tuesday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3543 from $1.3519
Euro/pound: UP at 83.42 pence from 83.33 pence
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 114.41 yen from 114.67 yen
Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.1 percent at $89.21 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.1 percent at $88.08 per barrel
G.Stevens--AMWN