- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- 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
Stock markets swing as traders prepare for US jobs data
Markets fluctuated Friday as traders positioned themselves ahead of a highly anticipated US jobs report later in the day and after a mixed bag of economic data on the world's top economy.
As a rollercoaster week drew to a close, debate centred on the Federal Reserve's plans for interest rates when it meets in less than a fortnight, with most observers expecting a 25-basis-point cut.
However, analysts say it could go twice as big if the non-farm payrolls report for August comes in well below forecasts, as a series of recent figures suggest the economy is slowing more sharply than initially thought.
A big miss in July's reading fanned fears of a recession and was a key driver of the rout across markets at the start of last month.
Investors were given a slight jolt by data Thursday showing a miss on private-sector hiring, which was slightly offset by a dip in first-time and continuing claims for jobless benefits.
A separate report pointed to a marginal increase in activity in the key services sector, which beat expectations.
"There has been nothing in the latest batch of US economic data... to materially impact on expectations for (Friday's) all-important employment data or to move the dial on expectations for what the Fed is likely to do on September 18," said National Australia Bank's Ray Attrill.
Wall Street ended the day on a tepid note, and Asian investors were equally cautious.
Shanghai, Seoul, Mumbai and Wellington fell along with London, Paris and Frankfurt.
Tokyo was weighed by a strong yen, which has picked up against the dollar on the back of bets on a Fed rate cut and growing expectations the Bank of Japan will continue hiking its own borrowing costs.
Still, Sydney, Singapore, Taipei, Manila, Jakarta and Bangkok rose. Hong Kong was closed due to a typhoon.
The broadly calm end to the week came after markets were sent tanking Wednesday following a disappointing read on factory activity and worries about tech firms' valuations -- particularly chip giant Nvidia -- after a rally this year.
Analysts warned there was a lot of risk in Friday's jobs figures, with a sharp drop likely to boost bets on a 50-point cut but stoke fresh recession worries, while an above-forecast read would dent hopes for a series of cuts this year.
Traders have factored in one percentage point's worth of reductions before the end of the year.
"One thing is becoming increasingly evident: the more the market leans into the idea of a 50 basis point cut, the shakier equities get," said Stephen Innes in his Dark Side Of The Boom newsletter.
"This week's relentless market slide is a reflection of mounting fears that a 50 basis point cut isn't a soft cushion but rather a red flag signalling turbulent economic waters ahead."
- Key figures around 0710 GMT -
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.7 percent at 36,391.47 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.8 percent at 2,765.81 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: Closed for typhoon
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.2 percent at 8,225.98
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 142.40 yen from 143.42 yen on Thursday
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1122 from $1.1110
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3186 from $1.3180
Euro/pound: DOWN at 84.17 pence from 84.29 pence
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.5 percent at $69.52 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.5 percent at $73.05 per barrel
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.5 percent at 40,755.75 (close)
R.Veloso--PC