(Updates with fresh numbers throughout, adds Sydney pre-open)
WELLINGTON, Dec 24 (Reuters) - - --------------------------------------------------------------- Snapshot at: 07:18 / 2018 GMT S&P/ASX 200
5,141.78 +25.09 NZSX 50
6,195.34 +47.37 DJIA
17,582.09 +164.82 Nikkei
18,886.70 -29.32 NASDAQ
5,039.79 +38.68 FTSE
6,240.98 +157.88 S&P 500
2,062.36 +23.39 Hang Seng
22,040.59 +210.57 SPI 200 Fut
5,160.00 +62.00 STI
2,863.65 +10.68 SSEC
3,637.28 -14.48 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Bonds
NetChg
NetChg AU 10 YR Bond
2.838 +0.008 US 10 YR Bond
2.264 +0.025 NZ 10 YR Bond
3.595 +0.000 US 30 YR Bond
2.997 +0.033 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Currencies
1700GMT
1700GMT AUD US$
0.7237 0.7242 NZD US$
0.6789 0.6822 EUR US$
1.0907 1.0938 Yen US$
120.83 120.91 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Commodities Gold (Lon)
1,068.25
Silver (Lon)
14.30 Gold (NY)
1,071.96
Light Crude
37.74 TRJCRB Index
175.22 +3.26 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Overnight market action with latest New York figures.
EQUITIES
NEW YORK - Wall Street rallied for the third straight day, led by sharp gains in energy stocks, as a rebound in crude oil prices boosted sentiment heading into the Christmas holidays.
Oil prices were up after U.S. inventories fell, but still hovered near multi-year lows as oversupply concerns continued to weigh.
At 1:45 p.m. ET (1845 GMT) the Dow Jones industrial average .DJI was up 0.78 percent at 17,552.63 points. The S&P 500 .SPX had gained 0.98 percent to 2,058.86 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC was up 0.66 percent at 5,034.19.
For a full report, double click on .N
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LONDON - European shares surged on Wednesday, boosted by gains in commodities stocks on the back of stronger metals and crude oil prices and signs of more economic stimulus measures in China, the world's largest metals consumer.
In the last full trading session before the Christmas holiday break, the FTSEurofirst 300 index .FTEU3 of top European shares closed 2.8 percent higher at 1,440.87 points. The euro zone's Euro STOXX 50 .STOXX50E advanced 2.3 percent, Britain's FTSE 100 index .FTSE rose 2.6 percent and Germany's DAX .GDAXI climbed 2.3 percent.
London-listed mining stocks dominated the list of Europe's top performing shares on stronger London copper prices, with Glencore GLEN.L and Anglo American AAL.L rising 8.4 percent and 9.1 percent respectively.
For a full report, double click on .L
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SYDNEY - Australian shares are poised for another strong day tracking gains in Wall Street while the energy sector is expected to get a boost from a rebound in oil prices.
Local share price index futures YAPcm1 rose 1.3 percent overnight, a 24.2-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 .AXJO . The benchmark rose 0.5 percent on Wednesday for its sixth straight day of gains.
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FOREIGN EXCHANGE
NEW YORK - The dollar held steady in light trading on Wednesday, supported by higher U.S. bond yields as data suggested a modest pace of economic expansion into year-end, albeit perhaps not enough for the Federal Reserve to quicken its pace on future rate increases.
The dollar index .DXY , which tracks the greenback against a basket of six currencies, was fractionally higher at 98.292. It held above its 50-day moving average, signaling its bullish trend remained intact.
The euro slipped 0.35 percent to $1.0915 EUR= and 0.6 percent to 131.88 yen EURJPY= . The dollar fell for a fourth straight session against the yen, last down 0.2 percent at 120.83 yen JPY= .
For a full report, double click on USD/
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TREASURIES
NEW YORK - U.S. Treasury yields rose on Wednesday, with 30-year yields hitting one-week highs after solid U.S. economic data supported views of a swift pace of Federal Reserve rate increases next year and gains in oil prices suggested higher inflation.
Yields on 30-year government debt US30YT=GBAN reached a one-week high of 3.009 percent, while yields on Treasuries maturing between 5 and 10 years hit nearly one-week highs after Commerce Department data showed U.S. personal income rose 0.3 percent last month to mark an eighth straight month of solid wage gains.
Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury notes US10YT=RR were last down 7/32 in price to yield 2.266 percent, from a yield of 2.239 percent late Tuesday and not far from a nearly one-week high of 2.273 percent hit after the U.S. data.
U.S. five-year notes US5YT=RR were down 2/32 in price to yield 1.719 percent, from a yield of 1.706 percent late Tuesday and hovering near a nearly one-week high of 1.731 percent.
U.S. two-year notes US2YT=RR were mostly flat in price to yield 0.985 percent, from a yield of 0.977 percent late Tuesday.
For a full report, double click on US/
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COMMODITIES
GOLD
NEW YORK - Gold inched down for the second straight session on Wednesday, hemmed into a narrow range in thin pre-holiday trade as major stock markets posted strong gains and the dollar climbed along with U.S. bond yields.
Spot gold XAU= was down 0.3 percent at $1,069.15 an ounce at 1:52 p.m. EST (1852 GMT), while U.S. gold futures GCv1 for February delivery settled down 0.5 percent at $1,068.30.
For a full report, double click on GOL/
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BASE METALS
LONDON - Aluminium touched its highest in two months and other industrial metals such as zinc also gained on Wednesday on greater optimism about demand in top metals consumer China and as Chinese funds bet on higher prices.
Three month aluminium CMAL3 on the London Metal Exchange closed up 1.9 percent at $1,536 a tonne after hitting $1,541, the strongest since Oct. 23.a short-term uptick in metals prices despite a poor longer-term outlook.
Copper CMCU3 ended 1.2 percent firmer at $4,720 a tonne, recovering from a 1.5 percent loss on Tuesday, with the metal posting only a sluggish recovery from six-year lows below $4,500 a tonne hit in late November.
For a full report, double click on MET/L
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OIL
NEW YORK - Oil rose more than 3 percent on Wednesday in thin, pre-holiday trading, buoyed by a surprise drop in U.S. crude inventories, but prices stayed near multi-year lows as global supplies remained abundant and OPEC lowered the demand outlook for its exports.
At 1:12 p.m. EST (1812 GMT), West Texas Intermediate futures CLc1 were up $1.30 at $37.44 a barrel, while Brent crude futures LCOc1 were up $1.12 at $37.23 a barrel. A day earlier, Brent touched $35.98, its lowest since July 2004.
For a full report, double click on O/R
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