- Saudi crown prince says no Israel ties without Palestinian state
- Canada to further cut international student, foreign worker permits
- YouTube launches new TV-focused tools for creators
- White Sox heading for worst season in MLB history
- China the top challenge in US history: senior diplomat
- Hong Kong democracy tycoon's son warns time running out
- New migraine drugs no better than cheap painkillers: big study
- Sean 'Diddy' Combs again denied bail in sex trafficking case
- Brewers clinch division title as MLB playoff race heats up
- Man City blunted by 'giant' Inter in Champions League stalemate
- US stocks dip despite larger Fed interest rate cut
- Man City held by Inter as PSG pinch win in Champions League
- All Blacks recall Beauden Barrett for Australia Test
- Fears of all-out war as new Lebanon device blasts kill 20, wound 450
- Spurs late show saves Postecoglou blushes at Coventry
- PSG snatch late goal to beat Champions League debutants Girona
- Gittens' late double gives Dortmund Champions League win at Brugge
- Man City blunted by Inter in Champions League stalemate
- Hidden talent: French Olympic star Marchand opts for disguise
- MrBeast named in California lawsuit over 'Beast Games' show
- Gauff splits with Gilbert as coach after 14-month run
- Hundreds of thousands at risk in Sudan's El-Fasher: UN
- Harvey Weinstein pleads not guilty to new sex crime charge
- Venezuelan opposition candidate says letter conceding election was coerced
- Ukraine official claims Russian advance in Kursk has been 'stopped'
- X update allows app to bypass Brazil ban: internet providers
- Fears of all-out war as new Lebanon device blasts kill 14, wound 450
- US Fed makes aggressive rate cut, weeks before election
- Arsenal's Odegaard faces lengthy injury absence
- India coal expansion risks massive methane growth: report
- China the top challenge in US history, top diplomat says
- US Fed makes larger half-point cut in first reduction since 2020
- Ronaldo's Al Nassr appoint former AC Milan boss Pioli
- Ainslie 'relieved' as British book place in Louis Vuitton Cup final
- Struggling Roma replace sacked icon De Rossi with Ivan Juric
- Women's NBA will add 15th team in Portland in 2026
- Brazil fires need harsher punishment: environmental police boss
- Boeing to start large temporary furloughs amid Seattle strike
- Fears of all-out war as new Lebanon device blasts kill nine, wound 300
- 'Emergency' declared over falling UK butterfly numbers
- McIlroy outlines threats to golf peace deal
- Stock markets, dollar slip before US rate decision
- Russian advance in Kursk 'stopped': Ukraine official to AFP
- UN members demand end to 'unlawful' Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories
- Snapchat pushes 'safer' platform image, but not everyone agrees
- Three dead, 100 wounded in new wave of Lebanon device explosions
- So where does the oceans' plastic waste come from?
- Allied war heroes buried in Netherlands... 80 years on
- Marsh coy over Australia's choice to open alongside Head
- New London sculpture pays tribute to trans community
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RELX | -0.82% | 47.37 | $ |
Oil higher, stocks wobble
Stocks struggled Monday as a pre-weekend rally on Wall Street fizzled while oil prices pushed higher ahead of a meeting of OPEC and its allies.
Wall Street ended a volatile week last Friday with a late surge. While that helped Asian markets, the rally stumbled as trading reopened in New York, with traders looking ahead to a charged week of central bank policy meetings and US jobs data.
The Dow spent the morning flipping between gains and losses, although the tech-heavy Nasdaq continued Friday's rally.
In Europe, both Paris and Frankfurt ended higher but London dipped.
"There's no shortage of risk events for the markets this week with rate decisions from the Bank of England and the ECB (European Central Bank), the US jobs report and a slew of earnings," noted Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor.
- Rates in focus -
Recent weeks have seen upheaval across world markets as the Fed readies to withdraw the vast financial support put in place at the start of the pandemic, which has fuelled a near two-year equity rally.
"The markets have been roiled by concerns about stubborn inflation pressures and expectations that the Fed will have to be aggressive with its monetary policy tightening campaign," said analysts at Charles Schwab brokerage.
Observers debate the Fed's likely moves as US inflation sits at a four-decade high, with some saying it could hike up to seven times before 2023, with an initial 50 basis point move in March.
The Bank of England is widely expected to increase its main interest rate by a quarter-point Thursday to 0.5 percent.
That follows its decision in December to increase borrowing costs from a record-low 0.1 percent to 0.25 percent to combat decades-high inflation.
This week sees also an ECB policy update.
ECB chief Christine Lagarde has downplayed inflation concerns, arguing that the forces pushing up prices across the eurozone are expected to ease over 2022.
Official data Monday showed the eurozone economy grew 5.2 percent last year after a pandemic-induced recession. Meanwhile, although German inflation slowed in January, it still came in higher than expected and will likely put more pressure on the ECB to react.
- Oil up before OPEC -
Oil prices were higher as OPEC and its allies prepare to meet Wednesday to discuss a further increase in output.
Brent crude last week surpassed $90 per barrel, a level last seen in October 2014.
The price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude hit its highest level in more than seven years earlier this month, fuelled by easing concerns about the Omicron Covid variant and geopolitical tensions.
Analysts have said that if Russia sends troops into Ukraine, crude prices could top $100 for the first time since 2014.
CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson downplayed the importance of OPEC and its allies raising their production target once again.
"While on the face of it this comes across as a measure which should help keep a lid on prices, the inability of a number of oil producers to meet their existing targets renders it meaningless," he said.
- Key figures around 1630 GMT -
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.1 percent at 34,691.97 points
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.9 percent at 4,171.36
London - FTSE 100: DOWN less than 0.1 percent at 7,464.37 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 1.0 percent at 15,471.20 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.5 percent at 6,999.20 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.1 percent at 27,001.98 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 1.1 percent at 23,802.26 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: Closed for a holiday
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1199 from $1.1158 Friday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3420 from $1.3389
Euro/pound: UP at 83.47 pence from 83.16 pence
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 115.22 yen from 115.24 yen
Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.3 percent at $91.16 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.5 percent at $87.23 per barrel
burs-rl/imm
K.Brown--BTB