- 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
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
Global stocks mostly rise as Fed reiterates plan to battle inflation
Global stocks mostly rose Wednesday as markets adopted an optimistic view of Federal Reserve minutes that reiterated plans to raise interest rates.
After a positive session in Europe and a choppy morning in New York, Wall Street rallied following the afternoon release of the minutes from the May meeting.
Analysts welcomed statements that the Fed intends to move "expeditiously" to increase the benchmark borrowing rate and offload the massive bond holdings to tamp down inflation, statements that investors hope could improve the picture before long.
"If the Fed is this aggressive, it's not impossible to think that by July or August you could see an improvement in inflation that might limit the need for further tightening," said Gregori Volokhine of Meeschaert Financial Services, adding that markets were also pleased that the minutes did not mention a three-quarters-point interest rate hike.
The broad-based S&P 500 finished one percent higher.
Earlier, London stocks closed 0.5 percent higher, with Frankfurt rising 0.6 percent and Paris 0.7 percent.
The gains came as the European Central Bank warned the Ukraine war has put financial markets under renewed stress by driving up prices and impeding growth.
The war has "increased financial stability risks through its impact on virtually all aspects of economic activity," ECB vice-president Luis de Guindos said in a statement.
Traders are also closely watching China, which continues to struggle with the fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant.
The world's second-biggest economy is sticking to its zero-Covid strategy despite the dire impact of lockdowns on growth.
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."
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has, meanwhile, put financial markets under renewed stress by driving up prices and impeding growth, the European Central Bank said in a report published Wednesday.
- Key figures at around 2130 GMT -
New York - Dow: UP 0.6 percent at 32,120.28 (close)
New York - S&P 500: UP 1.0 percent at 3,978.73 (close)
New York - Nasdaq: UP 1.5 percent at 11,434.74 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.5 percent at 7,522.75 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.6 percent at 14,007.93 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.7 percent at 6,298.64 (close)
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.8 percent at 3,677.10 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.3 percent at 26,677.80 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.3 percent at 20,171.27 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.2 percent at 3,107.46 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0685 from $1.0736 on Tuesday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2579 from $1.2532
Euro/pound: DOWN at 84.89 pence from 85.67 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 127.26 yen from 126.83 yen
Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.4 percent at $114.03 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.5 percent at $110.33 per barrel
burs-jmb/to
P.Cavaco--PC