- Jill Biden announces $500 million for women's health research
- Injured All Blacks centre Jordie Barrett out of Australia Test
- 'Lead the future': youth challenge world leaders at UN
- Goosebumps and stars as Paris Fashion Week kicks off
- Boeing boosts pay offer in effort to end strike
- Global markets inch higher on hopes of further rate cuts
- Amazon forest loses area the size of Germany and France, fueling fires
- 'Curious' Dupont eyes position change after claiming Top 14 award
- Man Utd stadium regeneration could add £7.3bn to British economy
- At COP16, Colombia seeks to lead by example on biodiversity
- Dupont caps off Olympic gold season with Top 14 player award
- Leeds to expand Elland Road to 53,000 capacity
- Mysterious 18th century diamond necklace set for auction
- World's oceans near critical acidification level: report
- California sues oil giant Exxon over plastic recycling 'myth'
- As wars rage, UN's critics say global body is failing its mission
- Amazon forest has lost an area the size of Germany and France
- Nadal, Alcaraz and Sinner in Davis Cup finals teams
- Telegram's Durov announces new crackdown on illegal content
- African players in Europe: Ice-cool Jackson strikes twice
- Man City's Rodri 'out for season' after ACL injury: reports
- Venezuelan court issues arrest warrant for Argentina's Milei
- Arsenal not yet a match for Man City-Liverpool rivalry, says Silva
- Iran's new president calls Israel warmonger as he seeks talks with West
- Berlin warns UniCredit against Commerzbank takeover attempt
- Black Eyed Peas star harnesses AI for novel radio product
- England cricket captain Knight reprimanded over 'blackface' photo
- Barca goalkeeper Ter Stegen set to miss season after knee operation
- 'I lived a lie', tearful witness tells French mass rape trial
- 274 dead in Israeli strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon
- Gunman revealed Trump plot months before golf course arrest: DOJ
- Trial opens in Italy student murder case that opened eyes to femicide
- Iran president accuses Israel of seeking conflict, says opposes war
- Swedish battery maker Northvolt to slash 1,600 jobs, quarter of staff
- Joshua says boxing career 'far from over' after Dubois defeat
- Stock markets inch higher on rate hopes
- 182 dead in Israeli strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon
- Friedkin Group reach deal to buy Everton
- UniCredit ups stake in Commerzbank to 21 percent
- Big rate cut was 'appropriate' first step: Fed official
- Stock markets diverge as eurozone economy struggles
- Lebanon says 100 dead in Israeli strikes on Hezbollah strongholds
- Man City's Akanji sends defiant title message after Arsenal battle
- Madrid's 'many styles' key to unbeaten streak: Ancelotti
- UK's Labour pledges economic rebuild amid free gifts row
- Barca goalkeeper Ter Stegen to undergo knee operation
- French mass rape trial moves on to new defendants
- 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
Asia, Europe stocks chase Wall Street higher
Asian and European equities rallied Friday on clarity over rising US interest rates, while the euro hit a one-month dollar low before France's presidential election.
Equities rose after a tough week dominated by the US Federal Reserve's hawkish tone in minutes from its March monetary policy gathering.
The euro sank to $1.0848 before of Sunday's French presidential runoff vote, with the unit dented also by European officials' reticence to move as aggressively as the Fed on tackling soaring inflation.
Oil prices steadied as traders mulled the recent release of nations' strategic reserves to combat recent Ukraine-driven turmoil over Russian crude supplies.
- Strong US finish -
Equity investors took their cue "from a strong finish to a turbulent trading session on Wall Street overnight", said AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.
"Commodities firms and financial stocks, the latter boosted by expectations of faster rate hikes, helped lead the charge higher."
Commodity prices have been boosted in recent weeks because Ukraine and Russia are key producers of raw materials.
Financial firms were given a shot in the arm on Friday as investors became more willing to take risks.
"The fortunes of financial stocks have been closely aligned with risk appetite over the last couple of months and we're continuing to see that now," said OANDA analyst Craig Erlam.
"If the economy can weather the storm, they could be in a strong position given how higher interest rates are generally beneficial for them."
The Fed has made clear it intends to act more decisively to rein in 40-year-high inflation by ramping up borrowing costs and offloading bond holdings.
Wall Street recovered from steep intraday losses to end on a positive note Thursday.
Markets have come under huge pressure this year as the end of ultra-cheap central bank cash, a Covid-fuelled slowdown in China's economic activity, the war in Ukraine and soaring inflation come together in a perfect storm.
However, so far this year the London FTSE 100 index has won more than three percent in value, boosted by heavyweight commodity and oil companies whose share prices have benefitted from soaring prices of raw materials.
In contrast, Frankfurt's DAX has shed in excess of 10 percent and the Paris CAC 40 has lost eight percent, hit also by energy security concerns as a result of EU nations' reliance on gas supplies from sanctions-hit Russia.
- Key figures around 1130 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: UP 1.0 percent at 7,628.52 points
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 1.4 percent at 14,276.24
Paris - CAC 40: UP 1.5 percent at 6,555.41
EURO STOXX 50: UP 1.5 percent at 3,859.29
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.4 percent at 26,985.80 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.3 percent at 21,872.01 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.5 percent at 3,251.85 (close)
New York - Dow: UP 0.3 percent at 34,583.57 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0868 from $1.0879 late Thursday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3030 from $1.3075
Euro/pound: UP at 83.40 pence from 83.20 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 124.18 yen from 123.95 yen
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 0.1 percent at $100.49 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.1 percent at $96.08 per barrel
burs-rfj/bcp/lth
L.Janezki--BTB