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- 'Emilia Perez' tops Oscar nominations in fire-hit Hollywood
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- St Andrews to host 2027 British Open
- S.African anti-apartheid activists sue govt over lack of justice
- Cocaine seizures in Rotterdam down sharply
- Keys shocks Swiatek to set up Sabalenka Australian Open final
- Formula One drivers face new sanctions for swearing
- UK to make case to Trump against whisky tariff: finance minister
- After Musk gesture, activists project 'Heil' on Tesla plant
- Career-high 54 for Gilgeous-Alexander as Oklahoma City roll Utah
- ICC prosecutor seeks arrest of Taliban leaders over persecution of women
- Syria's economy reborn after being freed from Assad
- Shoppers unaware as Roman tower lurks under French supermarket
- PSG finally click and fire warning shot to European rivals
- Saudi crown prince promises Trump $600bn trade, investment boost
- Unstoppable Sabalenka playing 'PlayStation tennis' says Badosa
- Sabalenka to take Badosa shopping after Melbourne rout - and pay
- Palestinian official says hundreds leave Jenin as Israel presses raid
- Singer Chris Brown sues Warner Bros for $500 mn over documentary
- Leaky, crowded and hot: Louvre boss slams her own museum
- Sabalenka tames Badosa to make third straight Australian Open final
- Kremlin ready for 'mutually respectful' Trump talks
- Negligence played key role in Turkey ski resort deaths: expert
- Celtic cash in on Champions League lifeline offered by new format
- Real Madrid break billion-euro revenue barrier to top Money League
- Man City sign forward Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt
- WWF blasts Sweden, Finland over logging practices
- How things stand in China-US trade tensions with Trump 2.0
- Colman to kick off Sundance as film world reels from LA fires
- Chief US diplomat vows 'unwavering support' for Israel
- Fire-hit Hollywood awaits Oscar nominees, with 'Emilia Perez' in front
- Nearly 200 Bangkok schools close over air pollution
- Daring attack pays off for Spain's Romo in Tour Down Under win
- Napoli host arch-rivals Juventus riding wave of Scudetto enthusiasm
- Alpine skiing: Five things about the Kitzbuehel downhill
- J-pop star Nakai to retire after sex misconduct allegations: media
- New rider in town: Somalia's first woman equestrian turns heads
- Melbourne doubles feud as Kichenok accuses Mladenovic of 'direct threat'
- Trump to take virtual centre stage in Davos
- Friedrich Merz: millionaire conservative on verge of German chancellery
- Pochettino happy after 'amazing' USA beat Costa Rica
- Most Asian markets extend AI-fuelled rally
- Bangladesh student revolutionaries' dreams dented by joblessness
- S. Korea investigators recommend Yoon be charged with insurrection, abuse of power
- Solar power surpasses coal in EU for first time
- Musk, Wikipedia founder in row over how to describe 'Nazi salute'
- Axel Rudakubana: troubled teen whose knife rampage shocked Britain
- Sasaki vows to 'give best' to fire-torn LA at Dodgers unveiling
- UK teen faces sentencing over murders that sparked riots
European stocks climb as inflation takes centre stage
European stock markets rose Wednesday as traders focused on inflation data in Britain and the United States.
London led the way in Europe as official figures showed an unexpected dip to UK annual inflation, easing some pressure on the Labour government as it struggles with growing the economy.
The pound steadied versus the dollar and euro, with analysts forecasting that the Bank of England would likely cut its key interest rate next month as the rate of price increases cools.
Separate official data showed Europe's biggest economy Germany contracted for a second straight year in 2024, with little hope of a strong recovery ahead of national elections next month.
Market watchers are now awaiting the release of US consumer-price inflation data later in the day.
A below-forecast read on US wholesale prices provided a little relief and helped the Dow and S&P 500 end higher Tuesday, though sentiment remains clouded by expectations that the Federal Reserve will not cut interest rates as much as hoped this year.
After Wall Street's broadly positive lead, Asian markets fluctuated Wednesday.
"The S&P 500 is expected to trade flat at the open as investors wait on tenterhooks for the latest US inflation snapshot," noted Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown.
"If there's a jump in the core rate of inflation in the US it could quash hopes of an interest-rate cut this year and could lead to fresh market jitters," she added.
In Asia, Tokyo's stock market ended down, though games giant Nintendo piled on more than two percent and briefly hit a record high as traders anticipate it will soon release its much-anticipated Switch 2 console.
The Nikkei 225's drop also came as the yen strengthened, with traders weighing the chances of a rate hike by the Bank of Japan this month.
Also in focus this week is the release of Chinese 2024 growth data, with expectations that it could come in below the previous year and be among the slowest in more than three decades.
Leaders have unveiled a string of measures to reignite the economy, with a particular emphasis on consumers and the troubled property sector, though there are fears the return of President-elect Donald Trump could see another painful China-US trade war.
Trump has warned he will impose tariffs of as much as 60 percent on imports from China, and observers say Beijing has likely kept its powder dry with regards stimulus as it prepares for the next four years.
- Key figures around 1100 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.7 percent at 8,262.19 points
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.4 percent at 7,450.52
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.7 percent at 20,414.20
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.1 percent at 38,444.58 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.3 percent at 19,286.07 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.4 percent at 3,227.12 (close)
New York - Dow: UP 0.5 percent at 42,518.28 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0311 from $1.0310 on Tuesday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2228 from $1.2211
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 156.78 yen from 157.98 yen
Euro/pound: DOWN at 84.33 pence from 84.40 pence
Brent North Sea Crude: FLAT at $79.93 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.2 percent at $76.50 per barrel
H.Silva--PC