- Masood hits first ton for four years to power Pakistan to 233-1
- Fritz wins delayed match to reach Shanghai Masters third round
- Naomi Osaka pulls out of Japan Open with back injury
- China to flesh out economic stimulus plans after bumper rally
- Artist Marina Abramovic hopes first China show offers tech respite
- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- 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
Recession fears send stocks, oil prices plunging
Equities and oil prices tumbled Wednesday after a brief respite from last week's painful rout across world markets, with recession fears building as central banks hike interest rates to combat decades-high inflation.
Wall Street opened lower while European stock markets were down in afternoon trading and Asia closed in the red, a day after healthy gains.
Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell's two-day testimony to Congress this week will be pored over for an idea about officials' plans for fighting runaway prices, which are being fanned by supply chain snarls, China's Covid lockdowns and the war in Ukraine.
Powell warned lawmakers on Wednesday that US economy faces an "uncertain" global environment and could face further inflation "surprises".
He once again stressed that the Fed is committed to bringing down inflation -- which has reached a 40-year high -- with higher interest rates, but said the world's largest economy "is very strong and well positioned to handle tighter monetary policy."
Most observers expect the Fed to aggressively hike US interest rates several more times this year having recently carried out the sharpest lift in almost 30 years.
"The 'R' word is likely to come up a lot today and the Chairman will have a tough time dodging it, especially with mid-terms in five months," said OANDA market analyst Craig Erlam, referring to recession.
"Naturally, he'll do his best to remain apolitical but I'm not sure investors will be able to ignore so much recession chat," he added.
Expectations of more rate hikes are handing support to the dollar, which pushed the yen briefly to a fresh 24-year low Wednesday.
The Bank of Japan is holding back from lifting interest rates, in sharp contrast to other major central banks.
"Swiftly rising interest rates act as a vacuum for economic growth, and this isn't lost on the market today," noted Sophie Lund-Yates, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.
"This is a darker day for global markets than has been seen in a while. Serious questions remain about the resilience of consumers, and it appears traders are bracing for a harsh hand where interest rates are concerned."
Oil prices were feeling the heat from recessionary fears, with both main contracts tanking more than six percent at one point.
Crude and gas prices have soared in recent months after major economies lifted pandemic lockdowns and following the invasion of Ukraine by major energy producer Russia.
Surging energy costs are fuelling global inflation, with official data Wednesday showing the British annual rate hitting a fresh 40-year high above nine percent.
In the United States, President Joe Biden will Wednesday ask Congress to suspend the federal gas tax for three months as skyrocketing prices cause widespread anger among Americans just months before crucial mid-term elections.
A senior administration official noted that US gas prices -- averaging near $5 per gallon -- had jumped almost $2 since Russian President Vladimir Putin began building up forces on the Ukrainian border earlier this year.
- Key figures at around 1330 GMT -
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 6.0 percent at $107.83 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 6.5 percent at $102.36 per barrel
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 1.5 percent at 7,048.37 points
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 1.9 percent at 13,045.98
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 1.6 percent at 5,867.49
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 1.7 percent at 3,435.66
New York - Dow: DOWN 1.2 percent at 30,175.91
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.4 at 26,149.55 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 2.6 percent at 21,008.34 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 1.2 percent at 3,267.20 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0539 from $1.0535 late Tuesday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2257 from $1.2273
Euro/pound: UP at 85.99 pence from 85.80 pence
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 135.99 yen from 136.64 yen
burs-rl/lth
F.Moura--PC