- Israel warns Lebanese as intense strikes target Hezbollah
- UK's Labour looks to be more cheerful despite gifts and welfare row
- Eurozone business activity slumps after Olympics boost
- Russia, Ukraine cross swords in sea dispute court battle
- Albania plans Sufi Muslim microstate within its borders
- EU launches WTO challenge against China dairy probe
- Murdoch's REA ups offer for property website Rightmove
- India's one-horned rhino numbers charging ahead, govt says
- Rescuers comb muddy riverbanks after Japan floods kill seven
- Asian stocks boosted by US rate cut, China stimulus hope
- Sri Lanka's new leader says no magic solution to crisis
- Israel warns Lebanese as wave of strikes hits Hezbollah
- New Socceroos coach Popovic confident he can rescue World Cup campaign
- 'Put Austrians first': On a pub crawl with far-right voters
- Trial begins in Italy student murder case that opened eyes to femicide
- Family of murdered Sri Lanka editor seek justice from new president
- Austria's far right woos anti-vaxxers with fund for vaccine 'victims'
- Long wait for justice in India's backlogged courts
- Rohingya refugees detail worsening violence in Myanmar
- Rescuers comb muddy riverbanks after Japan floods kill six
- Sri Lankan leftist leader sworn in after landslide election win
- Indonesia, NZ deny Papua rebel claim 'bribe' paid for pilot release
- Swearing, shoeys and swift legs: Singapore GP talking points
- South Korea warns of 'decisive' action against trash balloons
- Football Australia names Tony Popovic as Socceroos coach
- Japan quake, flood victim attempts fresh start with wife's memory
- Japan quake, flood victim attemps fresh start with wife's memory
- Asian markets extend gains as focus turns to US inflation
- Six dead after floods in central Japan: media
- Australian golf prodigy suffers career-threatening eye injury
- Gaza hospital a symbol of the ruin of war
- October 7: how Israel's deadliest day unfolded
- Bibles, sneakers, silver coins: Trump's merch for sale
- Met Opera opens season with tech-heavy 'Grounded'
- Colombia's Inirida flower: from 'weed' to emblem for UN meeting
- Colombia rebel group imposes control in restive coca zone
- Rams fight back to upset 49ers, Cowboys lose again
- Sri Lankan leftist leader to take office after landslide election win
- 300-kilo WWI bomb removed in Belgrade
- Zelensky in US to explain war plan to Biden, Harris, Trump
- 'Atrocious' Sudan war pushing refugees further afield: UNHCR chief
- 'Convergence' growing on global plastics treaty: UN environment chief
- MLB White Sox fall to Padres to match one-season loss mark
- All-Australian Ripper squad captures LIV Golf team crown
- Barnier promises compromise from France's embattled new govt
- Zelensky arrives in US to explain war plan to Biden
- Barca rout Villarreal but Ter Stegen hurt, Atletico draw at Rayo
- Darnold shines for Vikings, Steelers and Eagles win
- Atletico held to draw at Rayo Vallecano
- Marseille stun Lyon with 95th-minute winner after early red card
Stocks rise, oil steady before US jobs data, IEA meet
The world's major stock markets mostly rose and oil prices steadied Friday as investors awaited US jobs data for an update on the world's biggest economy, faced with soaring global inflation.
Also Friday, the International Energy Agency was holding an emergency meeting on possible new measures to calm oil prices fuelled by the reopening of economies post pandemic lockdowns and following the invasion of Ukraine by major crude producer Russia.
Fallout from the war sent consumer prices in the eurozone surging by a record 7.5 percent, EU statistics agency Eurostat said heading into the weekend.
"Investor concerns have persisted about the continuing conflict in Ukraine and its inflationary effect on prices and, of course, the Federal Reserve's response," noted Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management.
"Fed rate hike expectations should react asymmetrically to any surprises in Friday's US employment report for March."
The Fed has joined other central banks in hiking interest rates to combat decades-high inflation that is curbing economic growth.
Stock markets were slightly upbeat Friday after their worst quarter since the early days of the pandemic.
Traders are struggling to ascertain the outlook for the next three months, largely owing to uncertainty over energy prices.
The second quarter of 2022 "is going to start as messily as the first quarter has finished, with markets buffeted by a multitude of strong winds from various directions, with the outcome no clearer for the future than ever", said Jeffrey Halley, analyst at OANDA, a foreign exchange firm.
The upcoming earnings season will be closely watched to see what impact higher inflation and the war has had on firms' bottom line and their forecasts for the year ahead.
On Thursday, US President Joe Biden announced a record release of oil onto the market -- one million barrels of US government oil every day for six months.
Biden described the move as a "wartime" measure that will defuse Russia's leverage as an energy power.
However, while the move to ease a global supply crisis was welcomed, commentators warned it would only be a stopgap and could not be a long-term solution.
"It is worth keeping in mind that 180 million barrels is approximately nine days of US demand," said Innes.
"And while one million barrels per day is better than nothing and can help balance the four million a day lost from Russia for about six months, what happens after?"
US oil prices briefly dropped under $100 on Friday.
- Key figures around 1100 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 7,526.49 points
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.3 percent at 14,459.17
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.5 percent at 6,692.75
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.6 percent at 3,925.83
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.6 percent at 27,665.98 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.2 percent at 22,039.55 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.9 percent at 3,282.72 (close)
New York - Dow: DOWN 1.6 percent at 34,678.35 (close)
Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.3 percent at $104.97 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.1 percent at $100.20 per barrel
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1063 from $1.1067 late Thursday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3144 from $1.3143
Euro/pound: DOWN at 84.15 pence from 84.20 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 122.39 yen from 121.69 yen
G.Schulte--BTB