- 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
Stock markets steady awaiting start of Fed meet
Major stock markets mostly steadied Tuesday, with traders braced for a sharp US interest rate hike to curb soaring inflation.
All eyes are on the conclusion Wednesday of the US Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting, where it is expected to lift borrowing costs by half a percentage point for the first time since 2000.
With the increase widely forecast, investors will be closely looking for clues on the outlook for futures rate rises.
Central banks worldwide are tightening borrowing costs despite concerns such action could hamper financial recovery from the pandemic and even push major economies into recession.
"In a week focused on central bank action, the Bank of England is expected to... (also announce) another rate hike on Thursday, lifting rates to the highest level since 2009," noted Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor.
On Tuesday, the Reserve Bank of Australia lifted interest rates 25 basis points, the first hike since 2010 and by more than expected. Officials also indicated further increases were in the pipeline.
The move sent the Australian dollar briefly rallying more than one percent against the greenback before settling back slightly.
In Europe, eurozone stock markets recovered slightly in afternoon deals following sharp losses Monday.
London fell after a long holiday weekend, with investors catching up with losses elsewhere on Monday.
Traders continued to pore over earnings results from some of the world's biggest companies.
British energy giant BP on Tuesday said its decision to pull out of Russia as a result of the war in Ukraine pushed it deep into the red in the first three months of this year.
But its underlying performance was strong thanks to a recent surge in oil and gas prices.
On Tuesday, crude futures declined ahead of a regular meeting this week of OPEC+.
The body comprising the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries plus Russia and other oil-producing nations must decide on output policy amid tight supply fears triggered by the Ukraine war.
- Key figures at around 1130 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.8 percent at 7,482.07 points
Frankfurt - DAX: FLAT at 13,941.15
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.1 percent at 6,428.93
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,729.03
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.1 percent at 21,101.89 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: Closed for a holiday
Shanghai - Composite: Closed for a holiday
New York - Dow: UP 0.3 percent at 33,061.50 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0503 from $1.0506 on Monday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2500 from $1.2489
Euro/pound: DOWN at 84.02 pence from 84.09 pence
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 130.08 yen from 130.16 yen
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 1.3 percent at $106.23 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.5 percent at $103.63 per barrel
S.Caetano--PC