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Stock Markets
S&P/ASX 200 5,329.40 -83.22 NZSX 50 5,079.32 -32.66
DJIA 16,065.67 -43.22 Nikkei 14,327.66 -488.32
NASDAQ 4,245.40 -15.02 FTSE 6,527.89 -25.89
S&P 500 1,841.13 -5.21 Hang Seng 21,756.08 -216.59
SPI 200 Fut 5,194.00 +11.00 TRJCRB Index 302.88 +0.24
Bonds (Yield)
AU 10 YR Bond 4.010 -0.015 US 10 YR Bond 2.656 +0.000
NZ 10 YR Bond 4.550 +0.005 US 30 YR Bond 3.597 +0.000
Currencies (Prev at 7pm NZST)
AUD US$ 0.9002 0.9007 NZD US$ 0.8526 0.8538
EUR US$ 1.3899 1.3856 Yen US$ 101.26 101.57
Commodities
Gold (Lon) 1385.00 Silver (Lon) 21.360
Gold (NY) 1381.68 Light Crude 98.89
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Overnight market action with latest New York figures.
EQUITIES
NEW YORK - Wall Street ended lower on Friday with all three
major stock indexes down for the week, as concerns over tensions
between Ukraine and Russia escalated ahead of a referendum in
Crimea this weekend.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 43.22 points
or 0.27 percent, to 16,065.67, the S&P 500 lost 5.21
points or 0.28 percent, to 1,841.13 and the Nasdaq Composite
dropped 15.023 points or 0.35 percent, to 4,245.396.
For the week, the Dow fell 2.35 percent, the S&P dropped
1.97 percent and the Nasdaq lost 2.1 percent.
For a full report, double click on .N
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LONDON - Britain's top share index touched a five-week low
on Friday and recorded its biggest weekly drop in eight months,
with growth-driven stocks losing ground before a referendum in
Ukraine's Crimea.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 closed 0.4 percent lower at
6,527.89 points, taking the week's total losses to 2.8 percent,
the biggest drop since June 2013. The mining index
fell 0.6 percent to become the top sectoral decliner.
For a full report, double click on .L
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TOKYO - Japanese stocks tumbled 3.3 percent to a one-month
low on Friday, suffering their biggest weekly drop in nine
months as concerns over Ukraine and slowing growth in China hurt
risk-appetite and drove a safety-bid towards the yen.
The Nikkei share average ended 488.32 points lower at
14,327.66, the weakest closing point since Feb. 14. For the
week, the index dropped 6.2 percent, the biggest weekly drop
since last June.
For a full report, double click on .T
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SYDNEY - Australian shares are set to fall on Monday on
rising tensions between the West and Russia ahead of the
referendum results in Crimea.
Local share price index futures are down 0.3
percent, a 22.4-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200
index close on Friday. The benchmark fell to a one-month
low in the last session.
For a full report, double click on .AX
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FOREIGN EXCHANGE
NEW YORK - The yen rose on Friday, poised for its biggest
weekly gains in more than a month against the euro and the
dollar as traders flocked to it on growing tension in Ukraine
and fears about the health of the Chinese economy.
The euro fell as much as 0.5 percent against the yen in
early U.S. trading before trimming losses to trade 0.31 percent
lower on the day at 140.80 yen .
Against the dollar, the euro rebounded from early session
losses and was 0.24 percent higher on the day at $1.3903 .
For a full report, double click on USD/
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TREASURIES
NEW YORK - U.S. Treasuries prices edged higher on Friday on
rising tensions between the West and Russia ahead of Ukraine's
weekend referendum in Crimea, while data showing continued low
inflation and weak consumer sentiment supported safe-haven bids.
The 10-year U.S. Treasury note was last up 1/32
to yield 2.647 percent, compared with late Thursday when the
yield was at 2.653 percent. Bond yields move inversely to their
prices.
The 30-year Treasury bond was last up 8/32 in
price to yield 3.587 percent compared with late Thursday when
the yield was at 3.60 percent.
or a full report, double click on US/
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COMMODITIES
GOLD
NEW YORK - Gold rose to a six-month high on Friday as
investors turned to bullion as a safe-haven from East-West
tensions before a vote planned for Sunday on whether Ukraine's
Crimea region should join Russia.
Spot gold rose as much as 1.4 percent to its highest
level since Sept. 9 at $1,387.90 an ounce early in the session
before it later pared gains.
U.S. gold futures settled up $6.60 at $1,379 an
ounce, with trading volume about 30 percent above its 30-day
average, preliminary Reuters data showed.
For a full report, double click on GOL/
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BASE METALS
LONDON - Copper rose on Friday but was on track for its
biggest weekly loss in 11 months, with fears about credit
problems and industrial demand in top consumer China capping
gains.
Benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal
Exchange, untraded at the close, was bid at $6,468.50, up 0.8
percent from Thursday's close. It sank to a 44-month low of
$6,376.25 on Wednesday.
For a full report, double click on MET/L
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OIL
NEW YORK - Brent crude oil rose by more than $1 on Friday as
traders worried about the war of words between Moscow and the
West might escalate sharply this weekend if Crimea holds its
referendum on joining Russia.
The Brent crude oil contract for April delivery ,
which expired Friday, settled $1.18 higher at $108.57. The May
contract, which will become the front month contract on Monday,
settled $1.29 higher at $108.21.
Despite Friday's rally, Brent ended lower for the third
straight week.
U.S. crude settled 69 cents higher at $98.89 a
barrel, but closed for the week at its lowest point since the
end of January.
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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