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Stock Markets
S&P/ASX 200 5,392.82 +9.93 NZSX 50 0,000.00 +0.00
DJIA 16,147.10 -7.29 Nikkei 14,843.24 +450.13
NASDAQ 4,276.04 +32.02 FTSE 6,796.43 +60.43
S&P 500 1,842.02 +3.39 Hang Seng 22,535.94 +51.78
SPI 200 Fut 5,368.00 +5.00 TRJCRB Index 298.49 +5.25
Bonds (Yield)
AU 10 YR Bond 4.090 +0.035 US 10 YR Bond 2.709 -0.036
NZ 10 YR Bond 4.600 -0.020 US 30 YR Bond 3.678 -0.022
Currencies (Prev at 7pm NZST)
AUD US$ 0.9034 0.9044 NZD US$ 0.8305 0.8343
EUR US$ 1.3756 1.3707 Yen US$ 102.34 102.62
Commodities
Gold (Lon) 1320.75 Silver (Lon) 21.370
Gold (NY) 1328.49 Light Crude 102.75
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Overnight market action with latest New York figures.
EQUITIES
NEW YORK - U.S. stocks edged up on Tuesday, following Wall
Street's biggest gain of the year, as merger activity boosted
confidence there is still value in the market even as the S&P
500 nears a record high.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 7.58 points or
0.05 percent, to 16,146.81, the S&P 500 gained 2.89
points or 0.16 percent, to 1,841.52 and the Nasdaq Composite
added 29.265 points or 0.69 percent, to 4,273.29.
For a full report, double click on .N
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LONDON - Britain's top equity index erased its losses for
the year as it rose for a third straight session on Tuesday,
boosted by BHP Billiton BLT.L and telecoms operator BT .
The FTSE 100 ended up 60.43 points, or 0.9 percent,
at 6,796.43 points. It has now risen in nine of the last 10
sessions, taking its total gain over that period to 5.4 percent.
That is its best run since October, and leaves it up 0.7 percent
year-to-date. It now faces psychological resistance at 6,800.
For a full report, double click on .L
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TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei share average soared to a 2-1/2-week
high on Tuesday, led by the banking sector after the Bank Of
Japan said it would extend loan facilities by a year at its
policy meeting.
The Nikkei ended 3.1 percent higher at 14,843.24,
the highest close since Jan. 31.
For a full report, double click on .T
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SYDNEY - Australian shares are set to open higher on
Wednesday, tracking Wall Street which firmed increased merger
activity.
Local share price index futures rose 0.1 percent to
5,371.0, which was a 21.8-point discount to the underlying
S&P/ASX 200 index close. The benchmark climbed 0.2
percent on Tuesday to a three-month closing high
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FOREIGN EXCHANGE
NEW YORK - The dollar on Tuesday fell against the euro to
its lowest in seven weeks after a gauge of manufacturing in New
York state slowed in February, stoking uncertainty about the
direction of the Federal Reserve's monetary policy.
The euro rose to $1.3769 , marking a seven-week high
against the dollar and surpassing a key resistance of $1.3740.
The euro barely reacted to a mixed German ZEW survey of analyst
and investor sentiment . It was last at $1.3756, up 0.4
percent on the day.
For a full report, double click on USD/
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TREASURIES
NEW YORK - U.S. Treasury yields held in tight ranges on
Tuesday, hemmed in as a weaker-than-expected regional
manufacturing report and the biggest ever one-month decline in
homebuilder confidence nibbled away at confidence in the
strength of the U.S. economic recovery.
The 10-year Treasury is trading up 7/32 of a point in price,
driving the yield down to 2.726 percent . The 30-year
long bond also traded up 7/32 of a point in price, moving the
yield down to 3.686 percent .
For a full report, double click on US/
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COMMODITIES
GOLD
NEW YORK/LONDON - Gold fell on Tuesday as the market took a
breather after a three-day rally that pushed it over $1,330 an
ounce, but prices hovered around a 3-1/2 month high due to
lingering worries over global economic growth.
Spot gold slipped 0.5 percent to $1,321.84 by 1709
GMT. Earlier in the day, bullion touched its highest since Oct.
31 at $1,332.10 in the previous session.
For a full report, double click on GOL/
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BASE METALS
LONDON - Copper rose on Tuesday as support from a strong
euro helped cushion concerns about short-term demand in China
after its central bank moved to tighten the money supply.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange CMCU3,
untraded in rings, was last bid at $7,190 a tonne before the
close, from a last bid of $7,170 on Monday.
For a full report, double click on MET/L
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OIL
NEW YORK - SYDNEY - U.S. crude oil gained more than $1 to
hit a fresh 4-month high on Tuesday, as traders anticipated
continued demand for the U.S. benchmark following a report of a
large draw from the Cushing, Oklahoma storage hub.
Brent crude rose 84 cents to $110.02 by 12:31 p.m.
EST (1731 GMT) after earlier reaching $110.10, its highest since
Jan. 2.
U.S. crude rose $1.62 to $101.92 from Friday, its
highest since October.
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((Australia/New Zealand bureaux; +61 2 9373 1800/+64 4 802
7980))
Keywords: MORNINGCALL/