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Another original Hermes Birkin bag sells for $2.86 mn
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11 million flock to Notre-Dame in year since rising from devastating fire
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Gymnast Nemour lifts lid on 'humiliation, tears' on way to Olympic gold
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Lebanon president says country does not want war with Israel
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France takes anti-drone measures after flight over nuclear sub base
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Signing up to DR Congo peace is one thing, delivery another
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'Amazing' figurines find in Egyptian tomb solves mystery
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Palestinians say Israeli army killed man in occupied West Bank
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McLaren will make 'practical' call on team orders in Abu Dhabi, says boss Brown
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Norris completes Abu Dhabi practice 'double top' to boost title bid
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Chiba leads Liu at skating's Grand Prix Final
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Meta partners with news outlets to expand AI content
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Mainoo 'being ruined' at Man Utd: Scholes
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Guardiola says broadcasters owe him wine after nine-goal thriller
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Netflix to buy Warner Bros. Discovery in deal of the decade
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French stars Moefana and Atonio return for Champions Cup
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Penguins queue in Paris zoo for their bird flu jabs
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Netflix to buy Warner Bros. Discovery for nearly $83 billion
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Sri Lanka issues fresh landslide warnings as toll nears 500
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Root says England still 'well and truly' in second Ashes Test
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Chelsea's Maresca says rotation unavoidable
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Italian president urges Olympic truce at Milan-Cortina torch ceremony
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Norris edges Verstappen in opening practice for season-ending Abu Dhabi GP
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Australia race clear of England to seize control of second Ashes Test
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Trump strategy shifts from global role and vows 'resistance' in Europe
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Turkey orders arrest of 29 footballers in betting scandal
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EU hits X with 120-mn-euro fine, risking Trump ire
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Arsenal's Merino has earned striking role: Arteta
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Putin offers India 'uninterrupted' oil in summit talks with Modi
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New Trump strategy vows shift from global role to regional
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World Athletics ditches long jump take-off zone reform
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French town offers 1,000-euro birth bonuses to save local clinic
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After wins abroad, Syria leader must gain trust at home
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Slot spots 'positive' signs at struggling Liverpool
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Eyes of football world on 2026 World Cup draw with Trump centre stage
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South Africa rugby coach Erasmus extends contract until 2031
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Ex-Manchester Utd star Lingard announces South Korea exit
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Australia edge ominously within 106 runs of England in second Ashes Test
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McIlroy survives as Min Woo Lee surges into Australian Open hunt
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German factory orders rise more than expected
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Flooding kills two as Vietnam hit by dozens of landslides
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Italy to open Europe's first marine sanctuary for dolphins
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Hong Kong university suspends student union after calls for fire justice
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Asian markets rise ahead of US data, expected Fed rate cut
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Nigerian nightlife finds a new extravagance: cabaret
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Tanzania tourism suffers after election killings
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Yo-de-lay-UNESCO? Swiss hope for yodel heritage listing
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Weatherald fires up as Australia race to 130-1 in second Ashes Test
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Georgia's street dogs stir affection, fear, national debate
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Survivors pick up pieces in flood-hit Indonesia as more rain predicted
| RBGPF | 0% | 78.35 | $ | |
| BCE | 1.33% | 23.532 | $ | |
| JRI | 0.18% | 13.775 | $ | |
| SCS | -0.5% | 16.15 | $ | |
| RIO | -0.38% | 73.45 | $ | |
| BCC | -0.28% | 74.05 | $ | |
| AZN | 0.33% | 90.33 | $ | |
| NGG | -0.34% | 75.65 | $ | |
| GSK | -0.89% | 48.14 | $ | |
| RYCEF | 0.34% | 14.7 | $ | |
| CMSC | -0.38% | 23.391 | $ | |
| RELX | -0.15% | 40.48 | $ | |
| BTI | -1.83% | 56.995 | $ | |
| VOD | -1.43% | 12.455 | $ | |
| BP | -2.15% | 36.445 | $ | |
| CMSD | -0.15% | 23.285 | $ |
Stocks mostly rise on hopes of US shutdown deal, rate cut
Stock markets mostly rose on Wednesday on optimism that the US government shutdown was nearing an end and on hopes of another Federal Reserve interest rate cut.
Paris and Frankfurt both gained around one percent, while London dipped nearing the half-way mark.
In Asia, Hong Kong and Tokyo advanced. Shanghai edged lower.
"The prospect of an end to the US government shutdown later today is fueling demand for risk assets," said Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading group XTB.
After passing the Senate, a spending bill to reopen the US government is due before the House of Representatives and then Donald Trump, with hopes services can resume as soon as Friday.
Investors have welcomed the deal, which will end a shutdown that began on October 1 and saw a million federal workers unpaid, food benefits for low-income Americans threatened and thousands of flights cancelled.
It has also meant a string of key data points have not been released, leaving traders and the Fed unable to make informed decisions on policy.
"The end of the shutdown is positive for financial markets as we should get a clear read on economic data in the next week or so," Brooks added.
Adding to the upbeat mood were expectations for a Fed rate cut in December after data from private payrolls firm ADP added to recent reports pointing to a softening US labour market.
"Investors want -- and need -- this data to be soft enough to justify another 25 basis-point rate cut from the Federal Reserve in December," said Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at Swissquote bank.
Wall Street closed mixed Tuesday amid worries about elevated tech valuations following a breathtaking AI-fuelled rally this year.
Traders were spooked by news that Japanese tech investment titan SoftBank had sold all its shares in US chip giant Nvidia for $5.8 billion, without giving a reason.
Shares in Nvidia fell three percent on Tuesday, and SoftBank plunged as much as 10 percent in Tokyo after Wednesday's open before closing down 3.5 percent.
In other company news, Scottish energy company SSE soared over 10 percent in London, after outlining its £33 billion ($43 billion) investment plan to upgrade the electricity grid.
- Key figures at around 1115 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 9,887.79 points
Paris - CAC 40: UP 1.1 percent at 8,243.56
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 1.1 percent at 24,344.61
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.4 percent at 51,063.31 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.9 percent at 26,922.73 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 4,000.14 (close)
New York - Dow: UP 1.2 percent at 47,927.96 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1571 from $1.1588 on Tuesday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3127 from $1.3168
Dollar/yen: UP at 154.86 yen from 154.10 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 88.15 pence from 87.99 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.7 percent at $60.61 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.7 percent at $64.72 per barrel
X.Matos--PC