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Stock Markets
S&P/ASX 200 5,188.06 -40.95 NZSX 50 4,849.84 -32.88
DJIA 15,845.23 +106.44 Nikkei 15,007.06 -376.85
NASDAQ 4,129.45 +78.02 FTSE 6,538.45 -5.83
S&P 500 1,795.10 +20.90 Hang Seng 22,035.42 -106.19
SPI 200 Fut 5,151.00 -20.00 TRJCRB Index 283.54 -0.84
Bonds
AU 10 YR Bond 4.039 +0.023 US 10 YR Bond 2.697 +0.022
NZ 10 YR Bond 4.575 +0.020 US 30 YR Bond 3.638 +0.016
Currencies (Prev at 7pm NZST)
AUD US$ 0.8776 0.8728 NZD US$ 0.8136 0.8170
EUR US$ 1.3549 1.3654 Yen US$ 102.70 102.40
Commodities
Gold (Lon) 1242.50 Silver (Lon) 19.410
Gold (NY) 1267.79 Light Crude 98.18
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Overnight market action with latest New York figures.
EQUITIES
NEW YORK - Wall Street rose on Thursday, with the S&P 500
climbing more than 1 percent, buoyed by data showing the U.S.
economy grew as expected in the fourth quarter.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 155.99 points
or 0.99 percent, to 15,894.78. The S&P 500 gained 23.62
points or 1.33 percent, to 1,797.82. The Nasdaq Composite
added 83.327 points or 2.06 percent, to 4,134.76.
For a full report, double click on .N
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LONDON - British blue-chip shares fell for the seventh time
in eight days on Thursday, led lower by Diageo DGE.L after the
company said weakness in emerging markets was hurting its sales.
The FTSE 100 index was down 0.1 percent, or 5.83
points, at 6,538.45 by the close, nearing its lowest since
mid-December. It has suffered in recent sessions from a sell-off
in emerging markets that continued on Thursday.
For a full report, double click on .L
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TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei share average tumbled on Thursday, at
one point hitting a 2-1/2-month intraday low, as the U.S.
Federal Reserve continued to scale back stimulus despite
emerging market turmoil.
The Nikkei closed 2.5 percent lower at 15,007.06
after falling to as far as 14,853.83, the lowest since Nov. 14.
The broader Topix dropped 2.6 percent to 1,224.09.
For a full report, double click on .T
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SYDNEY - Australian shares are likely to have a firm start
on Friday, tracking a rise on Wall Street after data showed the
U.S. economy grew as expected in the fourth quarter.
Yet, the local share price index futures fell 0.3
percent to 5,152, a 36.1-point discount to the underlying
S&P/ASX 200 index <.AXJO close> on Thursday. The benchmark
slipped 0.8 percent on Thursday.
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FOREIGN EXCHANGE
NEW YORK - The dollar rose against a basket of currencies on
Thursday after data showed the world's largest economy produced
solid growth in the fourth quarter, reviving the appeal of the
greenback even against the safe-haven yen and Swiss franc.
The dollar was up 0.6 percent .DXY against a basket of
currencies at 81.025.
The euro EUR= was down 0.6 percent against the dollar at
$1.3584, not far from its session low of $1.3566 set shortly
after the U.S. GDP data.
For a full report, double click on USD/
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TREASURIES
NEW YORK - U.S. Treasuries prices fell on Thursday ahead of
the U.S. Treasury Department's auction of five-year notes and
seven-year debt and after the release of upbeat data on U.S.
economic growth in the fourth quarter.
Benchmark 10-year Treasury notes were last down
8/32 in price to yield 2.71 percent, compared with a yield of
2.68 percent late on Wednesday. Bond yields move inversely to
their prices.
For a full report, double click on US/
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COMMODITIES
GOLD
NEW YORK/LONDON - Gold fell 2 percent on Thursday, on track
for its biggest one-day drop in more than a month, as a pullback
in the U.S. Federal Reserve's stimulus program and an equities
rally on robust U.S. growth data prompted bullion investors to
take profits.
Spot gold was down 1.9 percent at $1,244.20 an ounce
at 12:10 p.m. EST (1710 GMT).
U.S. COMEX gold futures for February delivery were
down $18.40 an ounce at $1,243.80, with trading volume on track
to exceed the 250-day average, preliminary Reuters data showed.
For a full report, double click on GOL/
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BASE METALS
LONDON - Copper prices fell to a near two-month low on
Thursday, dragged down by a strong dollar and lacklustre demand
from China ahead of a week-long holiday, while overproduction in
aluminium pressured the metal to its lowest level in nearly five
years.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME)
closed at $7,095 a tonne, down from a close of $7,127 a
tonne on Wednesday. Earlier on Thursday it hit its lowest level
since early December at $7,066 a tonne.
For a full report, double click on MET/L
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OIL
NEW YORK - U.S. crude oil rose about $1 on Thursday after
government data showed solid economic growth in the fourth
quarter of last year and as cold weather was expected to boost
oil demand.
U.S. crude was up 93 cents to $98.29 at 12:56 p.m.
EST (1756 GMT), after earlier reaching $98.59, its highest since
Dec. 31. Brent crude was up 16 cents to $108 a barrel
after reaching a high of $108.30 earlier in the session. It
settled 44 cents higher at $107.85 Wednesday.
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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