- Ireland's Eurovision entry shares cryptic post ahead of final
- Burnley relegated from Premier League after loss at Spurs
- In Nigeria, Prince Harry promotes Invictus Games for veterans
- Man City close in on Premier League title, Burnley relegated
- Cologne great escape still on after stunning comeback
- Brazil's catastrophic weather spawns spate of conspiracy theories
- Man City have title 'destiny' in our hands: Guardiola
- Pogacar wins again on Giro d'Italia mountain
- Madrid eagerly awaits Mbappe after PSG exit confirmed
- Russia claims gains in ground offensive in Ukraine's Kharkiv region
- 'England great' Anderson will make last Test appearance in West Indies clash
- Martin wins French MotoGP sprint to pad championship lead
- Nadal eyes French Open bid despite early Rome exit
- Gvardiol double sinks Fulham as Man City go top of Premier League
- Kewell wary after Yokohama edge Asian Champions League final opener
- Nadal falls to Hurkacz in Rome Open second round
- More than 300 dead in Afghanistan flash floods: WFP
- In Nigeria for Invictus, Prince Harry plays volleyball with veterans
- Anderson will make last England Test appearance in West Indies clash
- Departing Mbappe 'a PSG legend', says Luis Enrique
- Iraq hopes oil reserves will exceed 160 bn barrels: minister
- Swiatek battles into Rome last 16, Djokovic 'fine' after bottle strike drama
- Russia claims more advances after Ukraine ground offensive
- Israel strikes Gaza as more Rafah evacuations ordered
- Swedish police probe 'intimidation' at Eurovision
- Djokovic 'fine' after bottle strike drama at Rome Open
- Malaysia football kicks off under heightened security after attacks
- Djokovic 'fine' after being hit on head with water bottle at Rome Open
- More than 200 dead in Afghanistan flash floods: UN
- Hundreds evacuated from Ukraine border after Russian offensive
- Israel strikes Gaza as US report criticises war conduct
- French art group uses brainwaves and AI to recreate landscapes
- Nuggets, Pacers claw back in NBA conference semi-finals
- Lomachenko unruffled by brash Kambosos ahead of world title fight
- Eurovision in Gaza's shadow as Israel competes in final
- No.1 Scheffler prepares to face fatherhood as PGA looms
- Scheffler sizzles ahead of PGA as Koepka, McIlroy eye major win
- China consumer prices rise at faster rate in April
- Nembhard the hero as Pacers down Knicks to claw back in series
- US slams Israel's use of American weapons in Gaza
- Pyongyang to deploy new multiple rocket launcher this year: KCNA
- For some residents of Mexico's Cancun, beach seems world away
- Zendaya: a superstar, not a challenger
- First 'extreme' solar storm in 20 years brings spectacular auroras
- Sagstrom shares LPGA lead with Zhang but Korda lurks
- Train crash in Argentine capital sends nearly 60 to hospitals
- Gotterup grabs lead at PGA Myrtle Beach Classic
- 'Hell' is even more real in this year's MLS Ohio derby
- Schauffele grabs four-stroke lead at PGA's storm-hit Wells Fargo
- Spurs boss Postecoglou won't give up on Champions League ambition
Stocks fall as tech shares sink, US economy slows
London's stock market reached a new record high but Wall Street and eurozone equities tumbled Thursday as tech shares sank after Meta signalled an AI spending spree and data showed slower US economic growth.
The US growth figures surprised analysts who have been reassured by robust US labour and retail sales data, prompting a resumption of selling that has taken hold of the market in April.
US gross domestic product grew 1.6 percent in the first quarter, much slower than anticipated as consumer spending and exports decelerated.
"The GDP miss likely took investors off-guard -- particularly with how solid some of this year's economic reports have been and with strength in the labour market," said Bret Kenwell, US investment analyst at eToro trading platform.
"It's not necessarily a report to panic over, but it's one to pay attention to," Kenwell said.
The surprising slowdown could lead the US Federal Reserve, however, to cut interest rates sooner than expected, said Richard Flax, chief investment officer at Moneyfarm.
"Today's data might just be the signal the Fed was looking for to start considering rate cuts as the economy appears to cool," Flax said.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq shed two percent in morning deals, with shares in Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, plunging by almost 14 percent.
Meta reported soaring quarterly profits on Wednesday but worried investors by announcing that it expects spending between $35 billion to $40 billion -- more than previously forecast -- due to investments in artificial intelligence.
Shares in Microsoft and Google owner Alphabet, which will publish earnings after markets close, were down more than four percent in morning trading.
Stocks had mostly enjoyed broad gains earlier this week on optimism that earnings from some of the world's biggest companies -- particularly in the tech sector -- would show that profits remained strong even amid stubbornly high inflation and elevated interest rates.
The Dow, the broad-based S&P 500, the Paris CAC 40 and the Frankfurt DAX were all down more than 1.5 percent.
- London record -
London's benchmark FTSE 100 index bucked the trend as it struck 8,102.14 points, reaching an all-time high for a third session running.
The stock exchange was up 0.07 percent in afternoon trading at 8,045.61 points.
Shares in mining group Anglo American soared 13 percent after news of a $38.8 billion takeover bid by rival BHP.
"The FTSE 100 is having the time of its life as takeovers continue to power the market," said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.
"BHP's move on Anglo American has got investors excited at who else in the blue-chip UK stock index might be next for a bid."
Well-received earnings sent share prices jumping for other British companies, including drugmaker AstraZeneca, lender Barclays and consumer goods firm Unilever.
Traders also kept an eye on Japan as the yen wallowed at a fresh three-decade low above 155 per dollar, a level many observers saw as likely to see authorities intervene in currency markets.
- Key figures around 1400 GMT -
New York - Dow: DOWN 1.7 percent at 37,799.78 points
New York - S&P 500: DOWN 1.5 percent at 4,996.81
New York - Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 2.0 percent at 15,402.71
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 8,045.61
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 1.6 percent at 7,965.31
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 1.5 percent at 17,816.79
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 1.7 percent at 4,907.34
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 2.2 percent at 37,628.48 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.5 percent at 17,284.54 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 3,052.90 (close)
Dollar/yen: UP at 155.62 yen from 155.31 yen on Wednesday
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0708 from $1.0701
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2480 from $1.2461
Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.81 pence from 85.85 pence
Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.3 percent at $87.75 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.4 percent at $82.46 per barrel
burs-lth/cw
R.Adler--BTB