(Updates with fresh numbers throughout, adds Sydney stock pre-open) ---------------------------------------------------------------- Snapshot at: 07:14 / 2114 GMT ---------------------------------------------------------------- Stock Markets
NetChng
NetChng S&P/ASX 200
5,118.62 +63.97 NZSX 50
6,823.8 +45.90 DJIA
17,926.43 +18.15 Nikkei
0.00 +0.00 NASDAQ
4,945.89 -1.53 FTSE
6,365.10 +2.21 S&P 500
2,082.78 +0.36 Hang Seng
21,337.81 +179.10 SPI 200 Fut
5,105.00 +14.00 STI
2,913.93 +23.52 SSEC
3,082.54 +15.90 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Bonds
NetChg
NetChg AU 10 YR Bond
2.549 +0.009 US 10 YR Bond
1.792 +0.030 NZ 10 YR Bond
2.885 -0.005 US 30 YR Bond
2.603 +0.026 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Currencies
1700GMT
1700GMT AUD US$
0.7691 0.7653 NZD US$
0.6839 0.6833 EUR US$
1.1264 1.1263 Yen US$
109.39 109.44 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Commodities Gold (Lon)
1,233.85
Silver (Lon)
16.15 Gold (NY)
1,242.76
Light Crude
41.50 TRJCRB Index
174.77 -0.88 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Overnight market action with latest New York figures.
EQUITIES
NEW YORK - Wall Street was little changed on Thursday after two days of solid gains as investors digested the latest round of big bank earnings.
The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI rose 18.15 points, or 0.1 percent, to 17,926.43, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 0.36 points, or 0.02 percent, to 2,082.78 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dipped 1.53 points, or 0.03 percent, to 4,945.89.
Energy shares .SPNY were the best-performing sector, while consumer staples .SPLRCS lagged the most.
For a full report, double click on .N
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LONDON - Britain's top share index closed flat on Thursday, underperforming its European peers following a fall in housebuilders and fashion firm Burberry BRBY.L .
The FTSE 100 index was flat in percentage terms, closing at 6,365.10 points, underperforming the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index .FTEU3 which closed 0.3 percent higher.
For a full report, double click on .L
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TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei soared to more than a two-week high on Thursday, as a weaker yen lifted sentiment and eased concerns about exporters' earnings.
The Nikkei share average .N225 rose 3.2 percent to 16,911.05, the highest closing level since March 29.
The broader Topix .TOPX climbed 2.9 percent to 1,371.35, with all of its 33 subindexes in positive territory. Trading volume was high, with 2.5 billion shares changing hands.
The JPX-Nikkei Index 400 .JPXNK400 advanced 3.1 percent to 12,403.09.
For a full report, double click on .T
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SYDNEY - Australian shares are likely to inch higher on Friday but gains will be muted with investors on the sidelines ahead of big bank earnings and the federal budget early May.
Local share price index futures .YAPcm1 rose 0.3 percent overnight, sitting at a 13.6-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX200 index .AXJO . The benchmark rose 1.3 percent on Thursday, its third straight session of gains.
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FOREIGN EXCHANGE
NEW YORK - The dollar drifted higher in quiet trading on Thursday as the negative impact of softer U.S. inflation data proved short-lived amid improving risk appetite, with Wall Street stocks steady and crude futures trading above $40 per barrel.
In late trading, the dollar index, a measure of the greenback against six other currencies, was up 0.2 percent at 94.975. .DXY
The dollar was also up 0.1 percent against the yen at 109.39 yen JPY= after earlier hitting a one-week peak of 109.54. The dollar, however, is still down 9.5 percent versus the Japanese currency so far this year.
For a full report, double click on USD/
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TREASURIES
NEW YORK - U.S. benchmark Treasury debt yields rose to two-week highs on Thursday as investors reduced their government debt holdings in favor of the higher-yielding corporate bond supply offered so far this week.
U.S. 10-year Treasuries US10YT=RR were last down 7/32 in price to yield 1.787 percent. Yields earlier hit 1.804 percent, the highest since April 1.
Benchmark 10-year German Bunds, by comparison, yield 0.164 percent and 10-year Japanese government bonds yield 0.025 percent.
For a full report, double click on US/
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COMMODITIES
GOLD
NEW YORK - Gold fell more than 1 percent on Thursday, as the dollar rose for the third day and world stocks climbed to 2016 highs, with uncertainty over the outlook for U.S. monetary policy this year adding to volatility.
Spot gold XAU= was down 1.3 percent at $1,226.06 an ounce at 2:32 p.m. EDT. U.S. gold futures GCv1 for June delivery settled down 1.7 percent at $1,226.50.
For a full report, double click on GOL/
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BASE METALS
LONDON - Zinc prices fell back on Thursday after strong gains in the two previous sessions, as some investors locked in profits ahead of key Chinese economic data.
Three-month zinc CMZN3 closed down 1.1 percent at $1,866 a tonne after touching an eight-month peak of $1,900 on Wednesday.
Copper CMCU3 also ended barely changed, adding $1 to $4,831 a tonne, after gaining 1.4 percent in the previous session and striking its highest since April 1 at $4,855.
For a full report, double click on MET/L
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OIL
NEW YORK - Oil markets closed lower after a choppy session on Thursday as the market processed a mixed report from the International Energy Agency and skepticism that an upcoming meeting of major producers would do much to tighten the supply demand balance.
Brent crude futures LCOc1 settled down 34 cents at $43.84 a barrel while U.S. crude CLc1 ended the session down 26 cents at $41.50.
For a full report, double click on O/R
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