- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
- Gauff fights back to reach China Open final
- Recovering Stokes ruled out of first Pakistan Test
- Hezbollah battles troops on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
- Alcaraz, Sinner breeze into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Bagnaia wins Japan MotoGP sprint to cut Martin's lead
- Alcaraz breezes into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Gaza cultural heritage brought to light in Geneva
- 'Bullet for democracy': Trump returns to site of rally shooting
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- South Korean cult-horror series 'Hellbound' returns at BIFF
- Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers
- Honduras arrests environmentalist's alleged murderer
- Padres pitcher Musgrove needs elbow surgery
- Supreme Court lets stand rules to curb mercury, methane emissions
- Boston beat Denver in NBA exhibition season opener, but Jokic says omens are good
- Chagos diaspora angry at lack of input on islands' fate
- Biden says 'not confident' of peaceful US election
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- Lukaku stars as Napoli beat Como to hold Serie A top spot
- Ohtani set for MLB playoff debut as Dodgers face Padres
- Pogba's drug ban cut to 18 months from four years
- Devine leads New Zealand to big win over India in Women's T20 World Cup
- Bosnia floods kill 16 people
- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Prosecutors seek dismissal of rape charges against French rugby players
- Meta AI turns pictures into videos with sound
- Bolivia's Morales says claims he raped a minor are a 'lie'
- MLB Reds hire two-time champion Francona as manager
- Daniel Maldini receives first Italy call-up for Nations League
- US dockworkers return to ports after three-day strike
US stocks gain ahead of Fed meeting but Asia, Europe struggle
European and Asian indices fell on Monday but Wall Street closed higher as markets worldwide brace for this week's Federal Reserve meeting, where the US central bank is set to hike rates amid worries it could spark a recession.
The positive sentiment in New York was a reversal from Friday, when major US indices finished a tough April by closing sharply lower as fears of higher interest rates, supply chain snarls and persistent inflation gripped markets.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq, having lost more than 13 percent in April for its worst monthly showing in 14 years, won the most in Monday's session with a 1.6 percent gain, while the Dow and S&P 500 increased more modestly.
Eurozone markets ended the session down, with Paris losing 1.6 percent and Frankfurt tumbling 1.2 percent. London was closed for a bank holiday.
Tokyo, Seoul, Mumbai, Manila, Sydney and Wellington all finished lower. Hong Kong and mainland Chinese markets were closed along with several other Asian markets.
"The markets remain skittish regarding an expected aggressive Fed monetary policy tightening cycle as the central bank is set to hike rates this week," analysts at Charles Schwab investment bank said.
"Moreover, global sentiment continues to be hampered by the ongoing war in Ukraine, the recent spike in interest rates, the rallying US dollar and slowing economic activity in China," they said.
Data released over the weekend showed Chinese manufacturing activity shrank last month at its fastest pace since the start of the pandemic as the government applies Covid-19 lockdowns in the biggest cities of the world's second-biggest economy.
The shockwaves were being felt in the United States, where an industry survey said factory activity slowed last month, with some firms blaming the restrictions in China.
While economic hub Shanghai remains locked down, Beijing has tightened virus controls in the capital, requiring clear Covid tests to visit public spaces.
This followed gloomy economic data in Europe on Friday showing that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was weighing on growth.
The struggles in China, the world's biggest crude importer, led to an early drop in prices of the commodity on demand concerns, offsetting worries about tighter supply as the EU eyes a ban on Russian oil over its invasion of Ukraine, though prices recovered later in the day.
The European Commission is preparing a sanctions text that could be put to the 27 member states as early as Wednesday, sources said.
The ban would be introduced over six to eight months to give countries time to diversify their supply, they added.
- Rate hike looms large -
Investors are looking ahead to the Fed's two-day meeting beginning Tuesday, in which the central bank is widely expected to hike rates by half a percentage point for the first time since 2000 to combat soaring prices.
With some commentators warning the Fed could eventually take rates up to three percent, there are also worries it could be too heavy handed and tip the US economy into recession.
"The Fed must make up for lost time and act quick and strongly as it faces inflation which keeps surprising as it rises," said Franck Dixmier, head of fixed income at Allianz Global Investors.
"The challenge in executing the normalization of its monetary policy is to ensure a soft landing of the US economy... while maintaining a dynamic labour market and above all avoiding triggering a recession."
- Key figures at around 2045 GMT -
New York - Dow: UP 0.3 percent at 33,061.50 (close)
New York - S&P 500: UP 0.6 percent at 4,155.38 (close)
New York - Nasdaq: UP 1.6 percent at 12,536.02 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 1.2 percent at 13,939.07 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 1.6 percent at 6,425.61 (close)
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 1.9 percent at 3,732.44 (close)
London - FTSE 100: Closed for a holiday
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.1 percent at 26,818.53 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: Closed for a holiday
Shanghai - Composite: Closed for a holiday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0506 from $1.0550 on Friday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2489 from $1.2578
Euro/pound: UP at 84.09 pence from 83.86 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 130.16 yen from 129.89 yen
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.5 percent at $105.20 per barrel
Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.5 percent at $107.67 per barrel
Nogueira--PC