---------------------------------------------------------------- Snapshot at: 07:19 / 2119 GMT ---------------------------------------------------------------- Stock Markets
NetChng
NetChng S&P/ASX 200
5,279.06 +7.92 NZSX 50
6,876.48 +51.98 DJIA
17,660.71 +9.45 Nikkei*
16,147.38 -518.67 NASDAQ
4,717.09 -8.55 FTSE
6,117.25 +5.23 S&P 500
2,050.63 -0.49 Hang Seng
20,449.82 -76.01 SPI 200 Fut
5,219.00 -47.00 STI
2,767.81 -5.26 SSEC
2,998.14 +6.87 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Bonds
NetChg
NetChg AU 10 YR Bond
2.326 -0.063 US 10 YR Bond
1.742 -0.042 NZ 10 YR Bond
2.680 -0.070 US 30 YR Bond
2.598 -0.043 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Currencies
1700GMT
1700GMT AUD US$
0.7457 0.7505 NZD US$
0.6881 0.6908 EUR US$
1.1401 1.1486 Yen US$
107.25 107.04 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Commodities Gold (Lon)
1,280.25
Silver (Lon)
17.33 Gold (NY)
1,279.11
Light Crude
44.32 TRJCRB Index
178.93 -0.95 ----------------------------------------------------------------
* Nikkei close was for May 2, Monday. Japanese markets were shut between Tuesday and Thursday for the Golden Week holiday.
EQUITIES
NEW YORK - U.S. stocks gave up early gains to end flat on Thursday as consumer discretionary shares fell and investors showed caution ahead of the April jobs report.
The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI closed up 9.45 points, or 0.05 percent, to 17,660.71, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 0.49 points, or 0.02 percent, to 2,050.63 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dipped 8.55 points, or 0.18 percent, to 4,717.09.
For a full report, double click on .N
- - - -
LONDON - Britain's top share index steadied near a one-month low on Thursday, as gains in companies like BT BT.L and RSA RSA.L offset declines by companies such as Centrica CNA.L and Inmarsat ISA.L after they gave discouraging updates.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index .FTSE closed 0.09 percent higher at 6,117.25 points, a day after hitting a one-month low.
For a full report, double click on .L
- - - -
TOKYO - Japanese financial markets will reopen on Friday following the Golden Week holidays.
- - - -
SYDNEY - Australian shares are set for a shaky start on Friday following a lacklustre session on Wall Street ahead of the closely watched U.S. employment data.
The market will also be waiting for Reserve Bank of Australia's quarterly monetary policy statement at 0130 GMT for clues on future rate moves after Tuesday's cut in the cash rate to an all-time low of 1.75 percent.
Indicating a weak start for the market, stock index futures YAPcm1 fell 0.9 percent to 5,219.0, a 60.1-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO . The benchmark closed flat on Thursday.
- - - -
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
NEW YORK - The dollar rose to a one-week high against a basket of currencies on Thursday as traders closed out profitable bets against the greenback before Friday's U.S. payrolls report which may confirm the view the Federal Reserve will not raise interest rates soon.
The dollar index was last up 0.65 percent at 93.777. The greenback was up 0.2 percent at 107.23 yen JPY= after hitting a 18-month trough on Tuesday.
For a full report, double click on USD/
- - - -
TREASURIES
NEW YORK - U.S. Treasury yields fell to their lowest in more than two weeks on Thursday as investors positioned for a weaker-than-expected U.S. government jobs report for April.
Benchmark 10-year Treasuries US10YT=RR rose 10/32 in price to yield 1.745 percent, the lowest since April 18.
For a full report, double click on US/
- - - -
COMMODITIES
GOLD
NEW YORK - Gold turned lower on Thursday, dropping for the fourth straight session on pressure from the firm U.S. dollar ahead of Friday's U.S. payrolls report, which will give clues about whether the Federal Reserve will soon raise interest rates.
Spot gold XAU= was down 0.5 percent at $1,272.23 an ounce at 1807 GMT. U.S. gold futures GCcv1 settled down 0.2 percent at $1,272.30 an ounce.
For a full report, double click on GOL/
- - - -
BASE METALS
LONDON - Copper fell to its lowest in nearly three weeks on Thursday as the stronger dollar weighed on prices, with a slide below key technical support and concerns about demand adding to the downward pressure.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange CMCU3 ended down 1.7 percent to $4,786 a tonne from an earlier session low of $4,775.
For a full report, double click on MET/L
- - - -
OIL
NEW YORK - Oil prices surged on Thursday after a raging wildfire near Canada's oil sands region curbed output that mainly flows to the United States, before settling off their highs as a rebounding dollar and a huge U.S. stockpile build cut into gains.
Brent futures LCOc1 settled up 39 cents, or 0.9 percent, at $45.01 a barrel. U.S. crude's West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures CLc1 rose 54 cents, or 1.2 percent, to settle at $44.32.
For a full report, double click on O/R
- - - -