Stock markets diverged and the dollar rose Friday at the end of a week marked by central bank decisions, as attention turned to a call between US President Donald Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Nearing the half-way stage in Europe, London and Paris edged higher while Frankfurt dipped.

The British pound retreated after official data showed UK government borrowing had reached its highest level since the Covid pandemic.

Tokyo led losses among major Asian indices on expectations that Japan's central bank would hike interest rates later this year after leaving borrowing costs unchanged Friday.

Before the announcement, official data showed inflation in Japan -- the world's fourth-largest economy -- slowed in August, with rice price rises easing following a sharp spike that had rat

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