- Two killed in Mexico as Hurricane John weakens to tropical storm
- Multiple arrests after US woman uses machine-assisted suicide in Switzerland
- Dubois will next fight Joshua or Usyk, 'whoever pays me the most'
- Stock markets surge on China stimulus
- Lopetegui ready to learn from mistakes as Liverpool loom in League Cup
- US Fed dissenter warns inflation risks remain 'prominent'
- UN chief warns Lebanon on 'brink' as world leaders gather
- Surprise start for Libbok as Etzebeth set for Springboks record
- Ten Hag says expanded schedules make injuries 'almost unavoidable'
- Liverpool boss Slot praises Alexander-Arnold's defensive work
- Barca coach backs Pena but will debate new goalkeeper signing
- UN says tens of thousands flee Lebanon strikes
- Asian stock markets lead rally on China stimulus
- Arteta stands by defensive tactics in fiery Man City clash
- Tropical Storm John hits Mexico's Pacific coast
- Sri Lanka's new leader appoints cabinet ahead of expected snap polls
- Singapore ex-minister convicted in rare graft trial
- UK town catches Subbuteo fever
- France facing 'one of worst deficits' in its history: minister
- China's Olympic champ Zheng embraces big home expectations
- Biden bids farewell to UN, in shadow of Trump
- All Blacks seek to end Wellington jinx, with Cane poised for 100th cap
- Postbank (Постбанк) анулює рахунки українців у Німеччині
- Meryl Streep says a 'squirrel has more rights' than an Afghan girl
- Postbank terminates accounts of Ukrainians in Germany
- Hong Kong, Shanghai lead markets rally after China stimulus
- Dutch paint giant Akzonobel slashes 2,000 jobs worldwide
- Sri Lanka's new leader to call snap parliamentary polls
- In Ukraine's Pokrovsk, some quietly waiting for Russian troops
- Singapore ex-minister pleads guilty in rare graft trial
- Fishy business caught by fraying India-Bangladesh ties
- US Open champion Sabalenka chases year-end number one ranking
- New Zealand scientists discover ghostly 'spookfish'
- Trump slams early voting, even while urging Pennsylvanians to do so
- Singapore ex-minister pleads guilty to bribery in rare graft trial
- Major Hurricane John hits Mexico's Pacific coast
- IMF says ready for talks with Sri Lanka's new leftist government
- Phillies clinch division title, eye top seed
- Bills trample Jaguars, Commanders claw Bengals
- China unveils fresh stimulus to boost ailing economy
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally on China stimulus on mixed day for markets
- Back to death row? Retrial verdict due in Japan murder saga
- Rare corruption trial of Singapore ex-minister begins
- Ghana a long way off from gender equality despite new law
- China unveils fresh stimulus to boost economy
- Hamas weakened, not crushed a year into war with Israel
- Israeli economy struggles under weight of Gaza war
- Israelis united in trauma, divided by war after October 7
- New York Liberty riding WNBA boom into playoffs
- Union says new Boeing pay offer 'missed the mark'
Shares in Tesla and airlines take off
US and European stock markets rose on Thursday, with Tesla shooting higher after the electric carmaker reported record profits and airline shares soaring as the travel outlook brightened.
Tesla shares climbed over six percent after the company reported a new record in quarterly profits of $3.3 billion on Wednesday.
Moreover, Elon Musk's high-flying firm said its 2022 output plan was on track despite ongoing supply chain problems and a hit from recent Covid-19 lockdown measures in China.
While many carmakers have been hobbled by a lack of semiconductors, Musk said it "seems likely" the company will produce more than 1.5 million vehicles in 2022, which would be above the company's long-term target of at least 50 percent output growth.
"If consumer spending is holding up well enough for Tesla to keep reporting decent numbers, then the market appears to be more confident that the US economy, and others too, can withstand the current expectations around inflation and interest rates," said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG.
There had been volatility in the markets this week over higher interest rates, surging inflation and lower global growth forecasts in 2022.
Meanwhile, Musk has lined up $46.5 billion in financing for a possible hostile takeover of Twitter, according to a securities filing released on Thursday. Twitter shares fell 0.3 percent in late morning trading.
- Airlines soar -
A forecast by United Airlines for surging travel demand as the pandemic impact fades helped boost airline shares in Europe and the United States.
Shares in European airlines were flying high. British Airways parent IAG soared 6.3 percent and shares in low-cost rival EasyJet jumped 4.9 percent in afternoon trading in London.
"The aviation sector is flying higher on expectations of a bumper quarter, after United Airlines posted record guidance for the second quarter," City Index senior markets analyst Fiona Cincotta told AFP.
The aviation sector was ravaged by the pandemic that erupted in early 2020. Surging oil prices amid the fallout from the Russian war have also acted as a headwind.
United Airlines shares jumped 12.2 percent in late morning trading.
The carrier forecast "the strongest second-quarter revenue guidance in company history" despite logging another Covid-induced loss for the first quarter.
American Airlines, meanwhile, reported another quarterly loss on Thursday, but said a recent sharp improvement in bookings should enable it to achieve profitability in the second quarter.
Shares in American Airlines climbed 6.4 percent and those in Delta gained over six percent.
Europe's main indices were mainly up at the close of trading, although the FTSE 100 was flat.
Stock markets in Hong Kong and Shanghai fell sharply on heightened anxiety over China's renewed Covid lockdowns and curbs on tech companies.
Tokyo, however, rallied on optimism over a falling yen, which boosts exporters.
Meanwhile, world oil prices rebounded after diving the previous session on weaker demand concerns.
- Key figures around 1530 GMT -
New York - Dow: UP 0.5 percent at 35,329.62 points
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.3 percent at 3,781.13
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 1.0 percent at 14,502.41 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: UP 1.4 percent at 6,715.10 (close)
London - FTSE 100: FLAT at 7,627.95 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.2 percent at 27,553.06 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.3 percent at 20,682.22 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 2.3 percent at 3,079.81 (close)
Euro/dollar: UNCHANGED from $1.0853 late on Wednesday
Dollar/yen: UP at 128.47 yen from 127.86 yen
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3051 from $1.3068
Euro/pound: UP at 83.17 pence from 83.05 pence
Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.9 percent at $107.80 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.2 percent at $103.46 per barrel
burs-raz/RL
J.Bergmann--BTB