- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- 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
Stock markets mixed as traders weigh dark outlook
Markets were mixed Wednesday, with little sign of any relief from recent dour performances as investors remain fearful about the economic outlook owing to the impact of inflation, higher interest rates, China's slowdown and the Ukraine war.
A series of weak indicators around the world and downbeat forecasts from big firms have chilled trading floors in recent weeks as the surge in prices begins to drag on consumer confidence, with warnings now swirling of a possible global recession.
The tech sector was again in the firing line after Snap, the parent of social media app Snapchat, provided a gloomy economic outlook, sending its shares diving more than 40 percent.
Wall Street titans followed Snap down, with Facebook-parent Meta and Google-parent Alphabet tanking.
The mood was not helped by news that US new home sales tanked in April while the Richmond Fed manufacturing index also fell, with both at the lowest levels since the coronavirus pandemic began in 2020.
"The market is moving its focus -- and has been for the last month or so -- from inflation concerns to growth concerns," said Ellen Hazen of FL Putnam.
Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Taipei, Manila and Bangkok rose, while Tokyo, Mumbai, Singapore, Jakarta and Wellington fell.
London, Paris and Frankfurt rose after tanking on Tuesday.
Investors are now awaiting the Fed's next move on interest rates, with expectations for more half-point hikes to come as officials struggle to bring inflation down from four-decade highs.
There was a little hope after one policymaker, Atlanta Fed chief Raphael Bostic, suggested a break in the increases in September could make sense as the bank tries to avert a recession.
National Australia Bank's Tapas Strickland said that, while it was not clear that the Fed was close to being more supportive of markets, "it is clear that growth headwinds are becoming more evident in the data, particularly stemming from the profit reporting season".
"The Fed of course remains focused on inflation, but if inflation reads were to start to moderate, then Bostic has opened up the possibility of a Fed pause."
Minutes from the Fed's most recent policy meeting are due later in the day and will be closely watched for an idea about its plans.
Meanwhile, China continues to struggle with the fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant, with leaders sticking to their zero-Covid strategy despite the dire impact on the economy of lockdowns.
And with no easing of that policy in sight, observers warned that a series of recent support measures would not be enough to lift optimism.
"Fiscal multipliers will be minimal in an economy where economic interaction and activity have slowed sharply," said Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management.
"Moving beyond mobility restrictions in short order is a pre-condition, but not a guarantee, for an Asia-led economic recovery."
- Key figures at around 0720 GMT -
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.3 percent at 26,677.80 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.5 percent at 20,201.89
Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.2 percent at 3,107.46 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.6 percent at 7,525.38
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0687 from $1.0739 on Tuesday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2542 from $1.2535
Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.20 pence from 85.64 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 127.08 yen from 126.86 yen
Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.8 percent at $114.49 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.8 percent at $110.65 per barrel
New York - Dow: UP 0.2 percent at 31,928.62 (close)
M.A.Vaz--PC