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Stock Markets
S&P/ASX 200 5,308.10 -1.95 NZSX 50 4,873.53 +11.33
DJIA 16,025.18 +61.24 Nikkei 14,534.74 -265.32
NASDAQ 4,232.83 +31.54 FTSE 6,659.42 -15.61
S&P 500 1,828.21 +8.95 Hang Seng 22,285.79 -120.26
SPI 200 Fut 5,302.00 +39.00 TRJCRB Index 292.57 +0.83
Bonds (Yield)
AU 10 YR Bond 4.105 +0.015 US 10 YR Bond 2.736 -0.027
NZ 10 YR Bond 4.620 -0.010 US 30 YR Bond 3.685 -0.037
Currencies (Prev at 7pm NZST)
AUD US$ 0.8985 0.8939 NZD US$ 0.8346 0.8310
EUR US$ 1.3671 1.3623 Yen US$ 102.24 102.05
Commodities
Gold (Lon) 1296.00 Silver (Lon) 20.270
Gold (NY) 1290.64 Light Crude 100.35
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Overnight market action with latest New York figures.
EQUITIES
NEW YORK - U.S. stocks advanced on Thursday, erasing earlier
declines as investors discounted weaker-than-expected data on
consumer spending and the labor market, but a disappointing
outlook by Cisco Systems kept gains in check on each of the
major indexes.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 23.77 points or
0.15 percent, to 15,987.71, the S&P 500 gained 3.93
points or 0.22 percent, to 1,823.19 and the Nasdaq Composite
added 16.795 points or 0.4 percent, to 4,218.083.
For a full report, double click on .N
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LONDON - Britain's top share index fell on Thursday after
six straight days of gains, its longest rising streak of the
year, led down by food ingredients firm Tate & Lyle and engineer
Rolls Royce, which gave disappointing outlooks.
The FTSE 100 closed down 15.61 points, or 0.2
percent, at 6,659.42 points.
For a full report, double click on .L
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TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei average slid nearly 2 percent on
Thursday, snapping a three-day winning streak, as investors
cautiously awaited U.S. economic data and sold shares across the
board.
The Nikkei ended 1.8 percent or 265.32 points lower
at 14,534.74, marking its biggest daily percentage drop in a
week. On Wednesday, it had notched a 1-1/2-week closing high.
The broader Topix fell 1.6 percent to 1,199.74, with
all of its 33 subsectors in negative territory.
For a full report, double click on .T
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SYDNEY - Australian stocks are set for a choppy start on
Friday as local investors react to Rio Tinto's results
and wait for earnings updates from the likes of top gold miner
Newcrest Mining .
Global miner Rio Tinto late on Thursday surprised investors
with a 15 percent dividend hike after reporting a huge jump in
second-half profit. Its London-listed shares hit an
11-month high but reversed direction to close lower.
Australian stock index futures were up 0.8 percent
at 5,303.0 but still traded at a small discount to the
underlying S&P/ASX 200 index which ended flat at 5,308.1
on Thursday.
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FOREIGN EXCHANGE
NEW YORK - The dollar fell on Thursday to a two-week low
against the euro and slid against other major currencies,
weakened by an unexpected fall in U.S. retail sales which helped
sow concerns that economic growth could be slowing.
The dollar index slipped 0.4 percent at 80.335. The
greenback fell 0.3 percent to 102.22 yen , while the euro
rose 0.6 percent to $1.3671 .
For a full report, double click on USD/
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TREASURIES
NEW YORK - Treasury debt prices rose on Thursday after two
days of losses as softer-than expected U.S. economic data
rekindled the view that the Federal Reserve could pause in
reducing its asset purchases.
In mid-morning trading, benchmark 10-year Treasuries
were up 6/32 in price to yield 2.74 percent.
Ten-year yields earlier hit a session low of 2.73 percent after
the release of weak U.S. economic data.
For a full report, double click on US/
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COMMODITIES
GOLD
NEW YORK/LONDON - Gold rose 0.5 percent to a three-month
high on Thursday, targeting a break above $1,300 after
disappointing U.S. retail sales data weighed on the dollar and
increased bullion's appeal as a currency hedge.
Earlier in the session, spot gold rose to $1,299.50
an ounce, its highest since Nov. 8 earlier. It was last up 0.5
percent at $1,296.69 an ounce by 11:25 a.m. EST (1625 GMT).
U.S. COMEX gold futures for February delivery climbed
$2.30 to $1,297.20 an ounce. Trading volume was on track to
finish below its 30-day average, preliminary Reuters data
showed.
For a full report, double click on GOL/
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BASE METALS
LONDON - Copper prices eased on Thursday as concerns about a
slowing Chinese economy resurfaced when investors reassessed the
previous day's buoyant Chinese trade data and its possible
impact on demand.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange
(LME) closed down 0.6 percent at $7,110 a tonne after rising
more than 1 percent on Wednesday. Copper has traded in a range
of about $7,000 to $7,500 since August.
For a full report, double click on MET/L
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OIL
NEW YORK - Crude oil prices slipped on Thursday, pressured
by an expected dip in demand during the refinery maintenance
season and a rise in jobless claims in the United States, the
world's largest oil consumer.
Brent crude oil futures for March delivery , due to
expire later on Thursday, were down 8 cents at $108.71 a barrel
by 11:54 a.m. EST (1654 GMT), after closing up 11 cents in the
previous session. The April contract rose 13 cents to $108.48.
U.S. crude , also known as West Texas Intermediate
(WTI), was flat at $100.37 a barrel, having dipped as low as
$99.40 a barrel earlier in the session, below the 200-day moving
average of $99.51.
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))
Keywords: MORNINGCALL/UPDATE 1