Major stock markets mostly rose on Monday, with Paris briefly reaching a fresh record, as traders reacted to indications the Federal Reserve could soon end a policy of hiking interest rates. The Paris CAC 40 went back above 7,400 points, having breached the level for the first time last month. That came amid a record-high for London's FTSE 100 also in February as investors bet on the eurozone and Britain swerving recession this year. However, lingering fears about high interest rates aimed at cooling elevated inflation have dampened equities in recent sessions. Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell is set to discuss monetary policy before the House and Senate committees on Tuesday, proceedings that will be scrutinised by investors seeking rate outlook clues. That comes ahead of US payroll data on Friday and the Bank of Japan's two-day policy meeting from Thursday, which will be the last for governor Haruhiko Kuroda. China's outgoing Premier Li Keqiang on Sunday said the country's economy would expand "around five per cent" this year, slightly below what analysts had predicted. The world's second-largest economy grew three per cent last year, missing its target of around 5.5 per...
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