- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
- Beckett's belief rewarded as Bluestocking storms to Arc glory
- Trump on the stump, Harris hits airwaves in razor-edge US election
- 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
Markets waver on inflation worry; oil rebounds from losses
Asian and European stock markets wavered on Wednesday, as traders digested Wall Street losses and data showing that runaway inflation shows no sign of easing.
Oil however rallied after sinking sharply on reports that OPEC was considering suspending Russia from an output deal, which observers said could allow producers to pump more.
Equities have enjoyed a largely healthy run of late on hopes that inflation could be nearing a peak and a sell-off across markets may have run its course.
The easing of some lockdown measures in China added to the optimism.
Yet investors were brought down to earth with a bump Tuesday after data showed that eurozone inflation hit a record high in May on rocketing energy costs.
The news puts extra pressure on the European Central Bank to act quicker to rein in prices by hiking interest rates, along with the Bank of England and the US Federal Reserve.
Markets remain fearful as the Ukraine conflict fuels massive price gains for energy and food, translating into spiking inflation -- and damaging the post-pandemic global economic recovery.
"There are heightened concerns around inflation and where central banks are likely to go trying to combat inflation," Kristina Hooper, of Invesco Advisers, told Bloomberg Radio.
"This has gone from just an inflation scare to a growth scare. Uncertainty has grown."
- Oil rebounds -
Equities were also mixed in Asia, with traders shrugging off a further easing of lockdown restrictions in China that many hope will give a much-needed boost to the world's number two economy.
Hong Kong and Shanghai slipped along with Taipei, Bangkok, Mumbai and Manila, though Tokyo, Sydney, Singapore and Wellington rose.
Back in Europe, London fell and Frankfurt rose, while Paris flatlined.
The oil market rebounded somewhat after tanking by more than four percent late Tuesday in reaction to a Wall Street Journal report that OPEC was considering removing Russia from an agreement that has locked producers into limited output increases.
Moscow's removal would mean an early end to the pact and allow major crude nations such as Saudi Arabia to open the taps, analysts said.
"If there's any confirmation from OPEC+ members that the absence of Russia is being discussed, then prices can drop to as low as $100," said Will Sungchil Yun, at VI Investment Corp.
- Key figures at around 1115 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.4 percent at 7,580.33 points
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.3 percent at 14,431.51
Paris - CAC 40: FLAT at 6,468.99
EURO STOXX 50: FLAT at 3,788.16
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.7 percent at 27,457.89 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.6 percent at 21,294.94 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,182.16 (close)
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.7 percent at 32,990.12 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0720 from $1.0734 on Tuesday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2586 from $1.2602
Euro/pound: UNCHANGED at 85.18 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 129.39 yen from 128.67 yen
Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.5 percent at $117.33 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.5 percent at $116.35
P.Queiroz--PC