- 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
- 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
Asian stocks up as investors calm over potential Fed moves
Asian equities were mostly up Friday following a tumultuous trading period on Wall Street, which rebounded at the close after investors calmed down about US policies to counter surging inflation.
World markets have been volatile for much of 2022 owing to China's Covid-19 lockdowns, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and as surging inflation weighed on consumer sentiment.
The Federal Reserve last week had announced its largest rate hike since 2000 and signalled that similar increases were likely in the coming months -- a possibility that sent markets on a rollercoaster.
"Macro-economic concerns have continued to weigh heavily on the equity markets this week, as stagflation and recession fears continue to dampen investor enthusiasm," said Lewis Grant of Federated Hermes Limited.
He added that the fears have been echoed in forecasts by major companies, with a large number of firms citing supply chain concerns.
Wall Street was mixed Thursday after another day of volatile trading, with the Dow falling for the sixth straight session but the Nasdaq mustering a small gain.
The small rebound on the tech-rich Nasdaq came after Fed Reserve chief Jerome Powell -- confirmed Thursday by the Senate for a second term -- expressed confidence that the economy is strong enough to withstand tighter monetary policies.
According to Bloomberg, Powell reaffirmed that the Fed was likely to raise rates by a half point but isn't "actively considering" a 75-basis point move.
In Asia, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore and Sydney opened higher on Friday, while Wellington traded in the negatives.
Dread has not only sent traditional markets seesawing, but the cryptocurrency realm also saw great volatility this week.
Bitcoin tumbled to the lowest level since late 2020, following a dramatic collapse in some so-called stablecoin cryptocurrencies -- TerraUSD and Tether.
The two stablecoins -- which are supposed to be pegged to the dollar -- proved to be anything but, as they saw their values collapse.
While the digital currency market stabilised by Friday, Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said "the 7-day moves in some of the 'other crypto experiments' on monster volume are insane and increasingly difficult to watch".
Bitcoin slumped below $27,000 before recovering a bit, trading recently at $28,710.
Oil remained up on Friday, with US benchmark crude WTI trading at more than $107 a barrel.
"As long as the war continues and macro pressures persist, it is likely that both energy names and value stocks will remain relative safe-havens for fully-invested, long-only equity investors," said Grant of Federated Hermes Limited.
- Key figures at around 0230 GMT -
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 1.7 percent at 19,705.86
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 3,064.32
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 2.7 percent at 25,421.84 (break)
Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.4 percent at $108.90 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.2 percent at $107.36 per barrel
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0387 from $1.0382 at 2100 GMT Thursday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2212 from $1.2199
Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.06 pence from 85.08 pence
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 128.36 yen from 129.97 yen
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.3 percent at 31,730.30 (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 1.6 percent at 7,233.34 (close)
E.Borba--PC