- Wilson, at 16, becomes youngest male USA track Olympian
- France detains two filmmakers over sex abuse claims
- Sinner comes through Wimbledon test to set up Berrettini clash
- George joining 76ers, Thompson heading to Mavs in NBA free agency
- France coach Deschamps savours reaching Euro 2024 quarter-finals
- Coach Tedesco curses Belgium's luck after Euros exit to France
- France star Kounde calls on voters to block far right in elections
- Taliban told to 'include women' in public life at UN talks
- NBA Celtics put up for sale two weeks after winning title
- Gauff breezes into Wimbledon second round as rivals fall
- NHL Predators land free agents Stamkos, Marchessault, Skjei
- Games organisers will hope for peaceful reaction to French election: ex-IOC executive
- Girmay gatecrashes 'father' Cavendish tilt at Tour history
- France edge tense clash with Belgium to reach Euro 2024 quarter-finals
- Nigeria weekend suicide bomb attack toll climbs to 32
- England's Bland beats Japan's Fujita in playoff to win US Senior Open
- Dan Ashworth joins Man Utd as sporting director
- Girmay dedicates Tour de France stage win to Africa
- George joins Embiid with 76ers as NBA free agency heats up: reports
- Trump advisor Bannon reports to jail to serve sentence
- Austria glory at Euro 2024 'not impossible', says Rangnick
- Aboriginal ritual passed down over 12,000 years, cave find shows
- England midfielder Barkley returns to Aston Villa
- Osaka wins first match at Wimbledon since 2018
- MLS St. Louis City dumps South Africa's Carnell as coach
- Coe makes pre-Olympics visit to Ukraine to give athletes support
- Powerful Hurricane Beryl slams into Caribbean island of Carriacou
- Wawrinka, 39, makes flying start at Wimbledon
- Eritrean Girmay wins Tour de France stage as Carapaz takes race lead
- Alcaraz wins Wimbledon opener as Murray wants 'closure'
- Nepal jails 'Buddha boy' for 10 years over child sex abuse
- Moscow takes two more east Ukrainian villages
- Supreme Court rules on Trump immunity, delaying trial
- Rusty Alcaraz sees off qualifier in Wimbledon opener
- Paqueta 'suffering' over betting allegations says new Hammers boss Lopetegui
- Under-fire Dutch not hitting panic button, says Koeman
- Bellingham's celebration gesture to be investigated by UEFA
- No 'cold sweats' before Spain Euros showdown, says Germany's Raum
- 'Heartbroken' Sabalenka withdraws from Wimbledon
- Pickford grateful to 'golden boy' Bellingham for sparing England's Euros blushes
- Austrian Grand Prix - three things we learned
- Alcaraz starts Wimbledon title defence as Murray wants 'closure'
- European sprint champion Asher-Smith 'so happy' as she bids for Olympic gold
- Anderson set to mentor England's quicks after Test exit
- Hope for Mekong dolphins as Cambodia numbers increase: minister
- France's far-right vote in figures
- France detains two filmmakers over sexual abuse allegations
- Israel strikes Gaza as militants claim rocket barrage
- Meta risks fines over 'pay for privacy' model breaking EU rules
- Williams takes spotlight as Spain power through to Euros quarters
Inflation data cheers Wall Street, French stocks slump
Wall Street stocks climbed Friday after data showing cooling US inflation raised hopes of an interest-rate cut, while French equities slid before a weekend election that could see strong gains for the far right.
The core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index rose by 0.1 percent monthly in May, compared with a 0.3-percent gain in April. It dropped to 2.6 percent on an annual measure in May.
The core PCE, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, is the US Federal Reserve's preferred measure of underlying inflation.
The drop adds to the case for it to begin cutting interest rates, which currently sit at a 23-year high.
The data "could set the stage for a September cut and potentially put the Fed on track to cut rates more than once this year," said Bret Kenwell, US investment analyst at eToro online brokerage.
Fed officials have tried to temper rate-cut expectations, warning they wanted to see more evidence inflation was being brought under control. Kenwell said inflation data over the summer would be important in determining the timing of a cut.
Wall Street stocks advanced, the Dow adding 0.2 percent.
Investors were digesting an election debate Thursday between US President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump.
"We don't think Biden's disastrous performance at last night’s debate will have a material impact on markets in the short term," said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB.
"The election is still many months away and a lot could change."
In Europe, the Paris stock market dropped 0.7 on the last day of trading before France's first-round legislative polls on Sunday.
President Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance was facing potential defeat to a surging far right, whose spending plans could put Paris on course for a standoff with the European Union.
The Paris stock exchange's CAC 40 index has slumped by 6.5 percent since Macron dissolved the lower house of parliament on June 9 following a disastrous showing for his centrist party in European elections.
The gap between the yield on French and benchmark German 10-year government bonds widened to its highest level since 2012, another sign investors are worried about the spending plans of the far-right and the left-wing coalition. Both are polling better than Macron's party.
Britain holds its general election on Thursday, which is expected to see the ruling Conservatives of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ousted after 14 years in government by the main opposition Labour Party.
Official data Friday showed the UK economy's recovery from recession was stronger than previously thought in the first quarter.
London's FTSE 100 ended the day down 0.2 percent despite spending much of the day in positive territory.
In Asia, the yen extended losses to hit a fresh 38-year low Friday, putting investors on guard for a possible intervention by Japanese authorities, before rebounding.
Asian equity markets mostly closed higher.
- Key figures around 1530 GMT -
New York - Dow: UP 0.2 percent at 39,254.25 points
New York - S&P 500: UP 0.3 percent at 5,497.99
New York - Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 17,906.90
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.2 percent at 8,164.012 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.7 percent at 7,479.40 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.1 percent at 18,235.45 (close)
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.2 percent at 4,894.02 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.6 percent at 39,583.08 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: FLAT at 17,718.61 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.7 percent at 2,967.40 (close)
Dollar/yen: UP at 160.87 yen from 160.79 yen on Thursday
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0717 from $1.0707
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2637 from $1.2642
Euro/pound: UP at 84.80 pence from 84.67 pence
Brent North Sea Crude: FLAT at $86.36 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.7 percent at $81.20 per barrel
burs-rl/jj
V.Fontes--PC