- 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
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
Global stocks mostly rise as markets eye likely Fed rate cut
Wall Street stocks concluded a positive week with another upbeat session Friday, while European equities also advanced following a European Central Bank interest rate cut.
More data this week suggesting the Federal Reserve was winning the battle against inflation provided an extra kick for global equities after recent drops caused by worries of a possible US recession.
All three major US indices finished solidly higher, with the broad-based S&P 500 ending at 5,626.02, up 0.5 percent for the day and more than four percent for the week.
"There were no negative surprises," said CFRA Research's Sam Stovall. "The market has continued to creep back up to the all time high level."
Earlier, European markets closed in the green, a day after the ECB cut its own rates for the second time this year as inflation cools.
Asia's main stock markets diverged as they closed out the week.
The price of gold struck an all-time high of $2,583.45 per ounce, as lower interest rates tend to prop up the precious metal.
Among individual companies, Boeing shares fell 3.7 percent after Seattle region workers overwhelmingly rejected a four-year contract proposal, launching a strike that will shutter two major factories.
Investors are focused on the highly anticipated Fed meeting on Wednesday after data this week showed US consumer inflation slowed more than expected in August to 2.5 percent.
Having slashed rates in the early months of the pandemic, the Fed began hiking them in 2022 as inflation started to take hold, and they kept lifting until rates hit a two-decade high.
Now, with disinflation seemingly kicking in and the labor market softening, decision-makers are tipped to start cutting again, with debate on whether it will be a 25- or 50-basis-point move.
"Fears that the Federal Reserve may have kept interest rates too high for too long, thereby risking an economic 'hard landing' have dissipated," said David Morrison, senior market analyst at financial services provider Trade Nation.
Markets had panicked last month after weak US jobs figures raised concerns that the world's largest economy could be heading towards recession.
Analysts said the odds of a 50-basis-point cut have risen this week.
"Gold is the ultimate inflation hedge, so it has received a boost from prospects of a 50bp rate cut from the Fed," said Kathleen Brooks, research director at the XTB trading platform.
- Key figures around 2130 GMT -
New York - Dow: UP 0.7 percent at 41,393.78 (close)
New York - S&P 500: UP 0.5 percent at 5,626.02 (close)
New York - Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.7 percent at 17,683.98 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.4 percent at 8,273.09 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.4 percent at 7,465.25 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 1.0 percent at 18,699.40 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.7 percent at 36,581.76 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.8 percent at 17,369.09 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.5 percent at 2,704.09 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1079 from $1.1074 on Thursday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3125 from $1.3124
Dollar/yen: UP at 140.76 yen from 140.73 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 84.40 pence from 84.37 pence
Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.5 percent at $71.61 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.5 percent at $71.61 per barrel
A.Magalhes--PC