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Stock Markets
S&P/ASX 200 5,412.61 +28.42 NZSX 50 5,111.98 +15.45
DJIA 16,104.12 -235.96 Nikkei 14,815.98 -14.41
NASDAQ 4,251.72 -71.62 FTSE 6,553.78 -67.12
S&P 500 1,844.71 -23.49 Hang Seng 21,901.95 -145.87
SPI 200 Fut 5,347.00 -66.00 TRJCRB Index 302.65 -0.35
Bonds (Yield)
AU 10 YR Bond 4.020 +0.105 US 10 YR Bond 2.649 -0.077
NZ 10 YR Bond 4.560 -0.030 US 30 YR Bond 3.596 -0.072
Currencies (Prev at 7pm NZST)
AUD US$ 0.9016 0.9055 NZD US$ 0.8529 0.8561
EUR US$ 1.3856 1.3939 Yen US$ 101.63 102.55
Commodities
Gold (Lon) 1368.75 Silver (Lon) 21.240
Gold (NY) 1366.58 Light Crude 98.27
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Overnight market action with latest New York figures.
EQUITIES
NEW YORK - U.S. stocks dropped on Thursday on rising tension
in Ukraine, which helped erase earlier gains spurred by
better-than-expected data on retail sales and the labor market.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 189.39 points
or 1.16 percent, to 16,150.69, the S&P 500 lost 18.67
points or 1 percent, to 1,849.53 and the Nasdaq Composite
dropped 57.797 points or 1.34 percent, to 4,265.535.
For a full report, double click on .N
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LONDON - British shares fell for a fifth straight session on
Thursday, dragged down by supermarket stocks after WM Morrison
cut its profit outlook, as well as by escalating tensions
between Russia and the West over Ukraine.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index fell 1 percent to
6,553.78 points, hitting a new one-month low on growing concerns
about a conflict in the Ukraine and jitters in the Chinese
credit market.
For a full report, double click on .L
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TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei share average edged down to a
1-1/2-week low on Thursday, erasing earlier gains after
weaker-than-expected Chinese output and retail sales data
disappointed the market. (Full Story)
The Nikkei ended down 0.1 percent at 14,815.98, the
lowest closing level since March 4. It had risen as high as
14,919.84 earlier following strong Japanese machinery orders
data.(Full Story)
The broader Topix index shed 0.3 percent to
1,203.46.
For a full report, double click on .T
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SYDNEY - Australian stocks are poised to open lower on
Friday, tracking a fall on Wall Street as tensions in Ukraine
mounted and amid ongoing worries about the health of the Chinese
economy.
Australia's stock index futures fell 1.2 percent to
5,348.0, a 1.2 percent discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200
index .
After the local market closed on Thursday, data out of China
showed growth in investment, retail sales and factory output all
fell to multi-year lows, a surprisingly weak performance that
raises the spectre of a sharper cooldown.
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FOREIGN EXCHANGE
NEW YORK - The euro slumped to session lows against the
dollar and yen Thursday afternoon after comments from the
European Central Bank chief signaled he remained open to more
action to avert the crippling effects of deflation.
The common currency fell 0.4 percent at $1.3850 ,
erasing earlier gains that propelled it to a 2-1/2-year peak of
$1.3967. Against the yen, the euro sank 1.3 percent to one-week
lows, last traded at 140.96 yen .
For a full report, double click on USD/
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TREASURIES
NEW YORK - Longer-dated U.S. Treasuries prices rallied to
their highest levels in over a week on Thursday on heightened
tensions over a U.S.-European response against Russia if a
referendum in Ukraine's Crimea region goes ahead.
The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note last
traded up 19/32 in price to yield 2.658 percent, up in price
from late Wednesday, when the yield was at 2.726 percent. Bond
yields move inversely to their prices.
For a full report, double click on US/
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COMMODITIES
GOLD
NEW YORK - Gold rose to a six-month high on Thursday as
fears of economic slowdown in China and worries about Russia's
standoff with Ukraine over Crimea boosted bullion's appeal.
Gold was further underpinned after Russia launched military
exercises near its border with Ukraine, showing no sign of
backing down in its plans to annex its neighbor's Crimea region.
Spot gold was up 0.4 percent at $1,371.74 an ounce by
2:39 p.m. EDT (1839 GMT). U.S. COMEX gold futures for
April delivery settled up $1.90 an ounce at $1,372.40 an ounce.
For a full report, double click on GOL/
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BASE METALS
LONDON - Copper resumed its decline on Thursday after a
brief recovery the previous day as concerns about the economy of
top consumer China intensified following data showing weak
industrial output and retail sales.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange
(LME) closed at $6,415 from $6,505 at the close on Wednesday.
Prices hit a 44-month low of $6,376.25 in intraday trade on
Wednesday before recovering at the close to post their first
daily gain since Friday.
For a full report, double click on MET/L
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OIL
NEW YORK - Brent crude futures fell on Thursday as
weaker-than-expected Chinese economic data offset worries about
supply disruptions prompted by the stand-off between Russia and
Western powers over Ukraine.
U.S. crude was up 17 cents at $98.16 at 1:05 p.m. EDT
(1705 GMT). Brent crude was down 86 cents at $107.16.
For a full report, double click on O/R
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((Australia/New Zealand bureaux; +61 2 9373 1800/+64 4 802
7980))
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