- Breaking men-only musical lore, Jobarteh puts African kora on wider stage
- Usyk heavyweight glory hailed as 'Ukrainian victory'
- Cannes narco musical star says being trans should be 'unimportant'
- Shelling kills ten in Ukraine region under Russian offensive
- DR Congo thwarts Kinshasa 'coup attempt' : army
- Injured Sinner back on road to French Open
- Dominican Republic votes for president in poll overshadowed by Haiti crisis
- France says will quell New Caledonia riots 'whatever the cost'
- 'Blood everywhere': Survivor recounts attack on tourists in Afghanistan
- Deadly bombs hit Gaza as US security envoy visits Israel
- World javelin champion Kitaguchi lays down marker in Tokyo
- Hundreds protest Taiwan's ruling party on eve of inauguration
- French forces smash roadblocks in bid to clear key New Caledonia road
- Russian exiles in Georgia inspired by protests but scared
- Taiwan's next president goes shrimp fishing with foreign guests
- Can Costner lead the revenge of France's much-mocked Kevins?
- Dramas elevate Iran cinema but it's comedy that sells
- Fury unsure on rematch after Usyk inflicts his first defeat
- Taiwan coast guard ramps up island patrols ahead of inauguration
- 'Maldives what?': Saudi fashionistas attempt beach rebrand
- Dallas rally to down Thunder, reach NBA Western Conference finals
- The French 'Erin Brockovich' vs Goodyear
- History-chasing Man City eye Premier League title 'destiny'
- Body of second missing Mongolian climber found on Everest
- Campana's late stunner gives Miami victory over D.C.
- Iraq father begins legal action against BP over son's cancer death
- Dominican Republic's vote is dominated by Haiti crisis
- Blue Origin flies thrill seekers to space after two year hiatus
- Biles launches Olympic year with impressive Core Hydration Classic win
- Usyk in tears for late father after historic heavyweight win
- Can we rid artificial intelligence of bias?
- Forgotten D-Day cameramen out of shadows, 80 years on
- Hollywood battles aging -- in film reels
- 'Blood in the water' for record low scores in PGA final round
- Usyk beats Fury to become undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion
- Seize the Grey wins Preakness for 88-year-old trainer Lukas
- Lowry's 62 equals low major round as Schauffele, Morikawa lead PGA
- Second major win would mean a lot for danger-man Lowry
- Tourists wounded in deadly Afghanistan shooting are stable: hospital
- Lowry matches low major round with 62 as Schauffele leads PGA
- Top-ranked Korda takes LPGA lead at Liberty National
- Benjamin wins LA 400m hurdles in blistering 46.64sec
- Ahly stay on track for 12th title after holding Esperance
- Three Spaniards, three Afghans killed in shooting in Afghanistan
- Canadian oil city lifts wildfire evacuation orders
- Schauffele clings to PGA lead as Lowry makes epic charge
- Swiatek 'staying humble' for French Open after third Rome title
- Chinese director Jia mines leftover footage for top Cannes film
- Zelensky expects Russia offensive in northeast Ukraine to intensify
- Bengaluru win six in row to make IPL play-offs, Chennai out
Most markets rise after Wall St rally as US rate optimism lingers
Most markets built on the latest global rally Tuesday as optimism that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this year continued to breeze through trading floors.
Friday's big miss on jobs creation for April, a strong earnings season and soothing comments about the policy outlook by central bank chief Jerome Powell have combined to push equities higher in recent weeks.
Positive soundings out of Beijing on help for the world's number two economy and very low valuations after years of selling are also injecting some much-needed life into Hong Kong and mainland Chinese markets.
Investors will be keeping an eye on comments from Fed officials this week in light of the recent jobs data, which came after three months of forecast-beating inflation figures that had seen markets lower their rate cut expectations to less than two -- from six at the start of the year.
The upbeat mood was ushered in by Powell's remarks last Wednesday that he did not foresee borrowing costs going up again this year and that he still expected to cut at some point.
That tempered a lot of the volatility in markets caused by wild fluctuations in the yen at the start of last week that reportedly prompted two Japanese interventions.
"Bulls will be looking to maintain their momentum after snatching last week from the jaws of bears," said Chris Larkin at E*Trade from Morgan Stanley.
"This week is light on high-profile economic data, but heavy on Fed members hitting the speaking circuit. Traders will be dissecting any comments they make about potential rate cuts."
Richmond Fed chief Thomas Barkin earlier this week said: "I am optimistic that today’s restrictive level of rates can take the edge off demand in order to bring inflation back to our target.
"The full impact of higher rates is yet to come," he said in prepared notes, according to Bloomberg News.
On Wall Street the S&P 500 and Nasdaq chalked up more than one percent in gains while the Dow was also in the green.
Asia came largely in line, though some markets fell away as the day wore on.
Tokyo advanced as it reopened after a long weekend break, while Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Taipei and Bangkok were also up.
London also rose as it reopened from a holiday.
But Hong Kong lost momentum after ten successive gains, while Singapore, Wellington, Manila, Mumbai and Jakarta also struggled.
- Key figures around 0715 GMT -
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.6 percent at 38,835.10 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.6 percent at 18,470.18
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 3,147.74 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 1.0 percent at 8,296.71
Dollar/yen: UP at 154.40 yen from 153.86 yen on Friday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0763 from $1.0772
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2546 from $1.2564
Euro/pound: UP at 85.78 from 85.72 pence
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.1 percent at $78.54 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.1 percent at $83.40 per barrel
New York - Dow: UP 0.5 percent at 38,852.27 (close0
J.Fankhauser--BTB