- Portugal brings deadly forest fires under control
- Postecoglou defends Solanke after slow start to Spurs career
- US nuclear plant Three Mile Island to reopen to power Microsoft
- Arteta urges Arsenal to take next step in Man City showdown
- Stock markets fall after Fed-fuelled rally
- Top Hezbollah commander 'killed' in Israel strike
- Poland charges Russian over attack on Navalny ally: prosecutors
- Man City have rest 'advantage' in Arsenal showdown: Guardiola
- Maresca has 'no doubt' in Jackson as Chelsea's number nine
- EU chief announces 35 bn euro loan plan for Ukraine before winter
- From TikTok to Hollywood, the irresistible rise of Italy's Khaby Lame
- Verstappen punished for swearing in Singapore press conference
- Sri Lanka lead by 202 in first New Zealand Test
- Brook 'not too fussed' by England's batting in heavy Australia loss
- India's Ashwin 'happy' to embrace pressure
- A modern 'Trojan Horse': two days of mayhem in Lebanon
- Third of Burundi mpox cases in children under five: UN
- Man Utd appoint Foster + Partners to develop Old Trafford 'masterplan'
- Israel-Hezbollah exchanges intensify on Lebanon border
- French mayor sorry for 'no one died' remark over mass rape trial
- Mohamed Al-Fayed, outsider shunned by British high society
- Lawyers say 'monster' late Harrods owner abused dozens of women
- India in box seat after Bumrah takes four against Bangladesh
- Taiwan retains death penalty but limits use to 'exceptional' cases
- Ferrari's Leclerc sets early pace in Singapore ahead of Norris
- 10 years into Huthi rule, some Yemenis count the cost
- France poised to finally get new govt
- Kompany, Alonso call for action on player workload amid strike talks
- Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson doubtful for Bournemouth clash
- Bumrah takes four as India bowl out Bangladesh for 149
- Sri Lanka 134-1 to take upper hand in first New Zealand Test
- Bayern's Kompany calls for game cap for players amid strike talks
- Christie's expands Hong Kong footprint in hope of art market 'pickup'
- Sultry screen legend Sophia Loren turns 90
- Cambodian opposition figure in court on incitement charge
- Bumrah takes three wickets to have Bangladesh in trouble at 112-8
- Kimchi threat as heatwave drives up South Korea cabbage prices
- UK economic data delivers fresh blow to new govt
- China to 'gradually resume' seafood imports from Japan after Fukushima ban
- India minister blames dam release for flooding
- O'Rourke strikes early for Kiwis as Sri Lanka trail by three
- Deep takes two as Bangladesh totter in reply to India's 376
- Israel pounds Lebanon's Hezbollah after device blasts
- Revolution or mirage? Controversy surrounds new Alzheimer's drugs
- Ashwin's 113 powers India to 376 in Bangladesh Test
- Biden opens home to 'Quad' leaders for farewell summit
- Sally Rooney returns with 30-something questions
- Wallabies sense 'massive' chance to upset All Blacks
- Taiwan questions two in probe into Hezbollah pagers
- Viral Korean Olympic shooter scores first acting role as assassin
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Global stock markets diverge after global rally
Global stock markets diverged and the dollar was mixed against main rivals Friday following an equities rally triggered by a jumbo US interest rate cut this week.
In early afternoon deals, European stocks pared back hefty gains from the previous session, won after the Federal Reserve opted for a bumper 50-basis-point rate reduction and pledged further cuts as inflation cools.
There had been fears the move could signal officials were worried about the economy and were behind the curve in easing policy.
But data Thursday showing jobless claims at their lowest since May suggested the United States was heading for a soft landing, rather than recession.
"The Fed's decision to cut rates by 50-basis points has been warmly welcomed by markets, with the bank shifting towards a pro-growth stance after years of blindly trying to drive down price pressures at all costs," said Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets.
Asia's main stock markets closed out the mostly higher after Thursday's advances.
The yen reversed earlier gains after the Bank of Japan decided against another hike to borrowing costs.
The BoJ began to move away from its long-running policy of ultra-low rates in March -- which saw the first increase in 17 years -- but a second hike in July sent shockwaves through markets and caused a surge in the yen.
Bets on more tightening -- and a period of cutting by the Fed -- has weighed on the dollar while supporting the yen this week.
After a muted initial reaction to the Fed cut, Wall Street bounded higher Thursday, with the S&P 500 and Dow hitting new records and the Nasdaq piling on more than two percent.
Frankfurt stocks fell a day after hitting a record high, while Paris and London also saw losses.
London's FTSE 100 index retreated after the pound won support thanks to the Bank of England holding its interest rate at 5.0 percent in a decision Thursday.
Official data Friday showed UK debt has reached 100 percent of Britain's annual gross domestic product, while a closely-watched index revealed a big drop in UK consumer confidence this month.
Gold hit a fresh record high above $2,610 an ounce on the prospect of lower US borrowing costs, which makes the precious metal, seen as a haven investment, more attractive.
- Key figures around 1120 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.6 percent at 8,279.91 points
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.7 percent at 7,563.10
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.7 percent at 18,871.01
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.5 percent at 37,723.91 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 1.4 percent at 18,258.57 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: FLAT percent at 2,736.81 (close)
New York - Dow: UP 1.3 percent at 42,025.19 (close)
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3289 from $1.3281 on Thursday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1158 from $1.1161
Dollar/yen: UP at 144.39 yen from 142.57 yen
Euro/pound: DOWN at 83.99 pence from 84.03 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.3 percent at $71.73 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.5 percent at $74.49 per barrel
H.Seidel--BTB