- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
- Beckett's belief rewarded as Bluestocking storms to Arc glory
- Trump on the stump, Harris hits airwaves in razor-edge US election
- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
European stocks rebound sharply on bargain hunting
European equities surged Wednesday on bargain hunting, but analysts warned that the temporary bounce would not last due to fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Frankfurt's benchmark DAX index and the Paris CAC 40 each soared about five percent in late morning deals.
Outside the eurozone, London's FTSE 100 jumped 1.5 percent, despite earlier Asian losses.
"European markets rebound as investors fish for bargains," summarised Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.
Brent crude fell but held near $124 per barrel, one day after the United States and Britain moved to ban imports of Russian crude as part of Western sanctions on Moscow.
- 'Dead cat bounce' -
"It's more than likely a dead cat bounce," OANDA analyst Craig Erlam told AFP in reference to surging European stocks.
A "dead cat bounce" is a market term referring to a rebound that briefly interrupts a prolonged downturn.
"We appear to be seeing a temporary corrective move," Erlam said, predicting the rebound would not last as Russia continues to wage war on Ukraine.
"The invasion is still happening, sanctions are still being imposed and oil prices are still high," he noted.
"None of that is conducive with a sustainable stock market recovery."
Major Asian markets declined Wednesday as investors dwelled on Washington's Russian oil and gas ban.
EU nations, which receive roughly 40 percent of their gas imports and one quarter of their oil from Russia, opted to set a goal of cutting their Russian gas imports by two-thirds.
European natural gas prices languished far below this week's record peak, despite fears over the region's reliance on Russian gas.
Europe gas reference Dutch TTF slid 18 percent to 175.75 euros per megawatt hour, having leapt at the start of this week to an all-time high at 345 euros.
Brent had spiked to $139 on Monday -- about $8 short of an all-time record -- in expectation of the US embargo.
Dealers warn of more markets volatility as Russia showed no sign of letting up on its assault on Ukraine.
- $240 oil? -
Prices could rocket further if more nations slap sanctions on Russian crude, according to Bjornar Tonhaugen, head of oil markets at Rystad Energy.
"Oil prices could hit $240 per barrel this summer in the worst-case scenario if Western countries roll out sanctions on Russia's oil exports en masse," Tonhaugen said.
"Market volatility is at an all-time high, with ... the expectation that supply will further tighten due to restrictive sanctions on Russian energy from the West."
The crisis has also fuelled fears that the fragile global recovery from Covid-19 will be replaced by a period of stagflation, in which inflation surges and economies flatline or contract.
Haven investment gold declined Wednesday, one day after hitting a near-record $2,070 per ounce -- the highest since August 2020.
- Key figures around 1125 GMT -
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 5.1 percent at 13,486.53 points
Paris - CAC 40: UP 4.9 percent at 6,256.33
London - FTSE 100: UP 1.8 percent at 7,091.04
EURO STOXX 50: UP 5.1 percent at 3,685.28
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.3 percent at 24,717.53 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.7 percent at 20,627.71 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 1.1 percent at 3,256.39 (close)
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.6 percent at 32,632.64 (close)
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 3.3 percent at $123.67 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 3.3 percent at $119.65
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0966 from $1.0899 Tuesday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3167 from $1.3104
Euro/pound: UP at 83.29 pence from 83.18 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 115.87 yen from 115.67 yen
burs-rfj/lth
G.Machado--PC