UPDATE 1-New Zealand/Australia Morning Call-Global markets

 (Updates prices, table) 
-----------------------(0648/1948 GMT)----------------------- 
Stock Markets                                                    
S&P/ASX 200    5,436.99   +3.15  NZSX 50        4,973.20   +5.69 
DJIA          16,178.85   -0.81  Nikkei        14,970.97  -80.63 
NASDAQ         4,285.98   -1.60  FTSE           6,799.15  -31.35 
S&P 500        1,843.46   -1.66  Hang Seng     22,317.20 +120.24 
SPI 200 Fut    5,418.00  -19.00  TRJCRB Index     301.61   +0.04 
                            
Bonds (Yield)                                                    
AU 10 YR Bond     4.030  +0.035  US 10 YR Bond     2.671  -0.030 
NZ 10 YR Bond     4.580  -0.010  US 30 YR Bond     3.634  -0.027 
                            
Currencies (Prev at 7pm NZST)                                    
AUD US$          0.8954  0.9020  NZD US$          0.8307  0.8336 
EUR US$          1.3677  1.3742  Yen US$          102.42  102.29 
    
Commodities                                                      
Gold (Lon)      1331.75          Silver (Lon)     21.845         
Gold (NY)       1340.14          Light Crude      102.61        
---------------------------------------------------------------- 
 Overnight market action with latest New York figures. 
 
    EQUITIES 
    NEW YORK - U.S. stocks were mostly flat on Wednesday as, for 
a third straight session, equities were unable to hold onto 
gains that took the S&P 500 near record levels. 
    The Dow Jones industrial average    was up 27.93 points, 
or 0.17 percent, at 16,207.59. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index 
   was up 2.08 points, or 0.11 percent, at 1,847.20. The 
Nasdaq Composite Index    was up 11.94 points, or 0.28 
percent, at 4,299.53.  
    For a full report, double click on  .N  
    - - - -  
    LONDON - Analyst cuts prompted a rush to the exits for 
investors in retailer Tesco TSCO.L, weighing on the blue-chip 
FTSE 100    on Wednesday and dragging it further away from 
a recent multi-year high. 
    Tesco's heavy weighting within the FTSE meant it acted as a 
drag on the parent index and left it down 0.5 percent, or 31.3 
points, at 6,799.15, even though fund flows into Europe remain 
positive and many expect the fresh 14-year closing high hit on 
Monday to be extended in the coming weeks. 
    For a full report, double click on  .L  
    - - - -  
    TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei average fell on Wednesday after 
hitting a four-week closing high the previous day, as investors 
took profits after weak U.S. economic data soured sentiment. 
    The Nikkei    ended 0.5 percent lower at 14,970.97. The 
broader Topix index    slipped 0.7 percent to 1,225.35, 
with only 1.9 billion shares changing hands, the smallest volume 
since mid-December. 
    For a full report, double click on  .T  
    - - - -  
    SYDNEY - Australian shares are set to lower on Thursday as 
shares hover near a 5-1/2-year high earlier in the week. 
    Share price index futures    fell 0.3 percent to 
5,418, a 18.9-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index 
  . The benchmark finished edged higher on Wednesday. 
    - - - - 
    FOREIGN EXCHANGE  
    NEW YORK - The dollar rose to its highest in two weeks 
against a basket of major currencies on Wednesday, as investors 
sought the greenback's safety on continued geopolitical tensions 
in Russia and Ukraine. 
    In late morning trading, the dollar index    rose 0.39 
percent to 80.457. It hit a high of 80.490, it strongest level 
since mid February. 
    The dollar also rose against the euro   , which was down 
0.54 percent at $1.3672 after hitting a two week-trough of 
$1.3584.  
    For a full report, double click on  USD/  
    - - - -  
    TREASURIES  
    NEW YORK - U.S. Treasury debt prices inched up on Wednesday 
after the release of better-than-expected data on new home sales 
and following strong demand for a sale of five-year notes. 
    Ten-year notes    were up 7/32 in price, sending 
yields down to 2.687 percent. Thirty-year yields    
were up 4/32 in price, pushing yields down to 3.649 percent from 
Tuesday's close of 3.661 percent. 
    For a full report, double click on  US/  
    - - - -  
    COMMODITIES  
    GOLD 
    NEW YORK/LONDON - Gold fell almost 1 percent on Wednesday, 
retreating from a four-month high as a dollar rally and surging 
U.S. new home sales dented bullion's safe-haven appeal. 
    Spot gold    touched its highest level since Oct. 30 
at$1,345.35 an ounce earlier in the day. It was last trading 
down 0.8 percent at $1,328.80 by 2:16 p.m. EST (1916 GMT), its 
biggest one-day loss in nearly a month. 
    U.S. COMEX gold futures    for April delivery settled 
down $14.70 at $1,328 an ounce, with trading volume about 10 
percent below its 30-day average, preliminary Reuters data 
showed. 
    For a full report, double click on  GOL/  
    - - - -  
    BASE METALS 
    LONDON/SYDNEY - Copper slipped to a three-week low on 
Wednesday as worries about credit curbs on top consumer China's 
property developers fed into wider concerns about global demand 
for the metal. 
    Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange    
ended at $7,026 a tonne, its lowest level since Feb. 5, and down 
from a close of $7,064.50 on Tuesday. 
    For a full report, double click on  MET/L  
    - - - -  
    OIL 
    LONDON - U.S. oil rose more than $1 per barrel on Wednesday 
after government data showed a surprisingly small build in crude 
oil inventories and another large draw from the American 
benchmark's delivery point. 
    U.S. crude oil    rose by more than $1, touching a high 
of $102.90 per barrel after the EIA data. The contract last 
traded 87 cents higher at $102.70 at 1:02 p.m. EST (1802 GMT). 
Brent crude    was up 17 cents to $109.68 a barrel. 
    For a full report, double click on  O/R  
    - - - - 
((Australia/New Zealand bureaux; +61 2 9373 1800/+64 4 802 
7980)) 
 
 
Keywords: MORNINGCALL/