WELLINGTON, Dec 21 (Reuters) - - --------------------------------------------------------------- Snapshot at: 07:54 / 1854 GMT ---------------------------------------------------------------- Stock Markets
NetChng
NetChng S&P/ASX 200
5,106.66 +4.65 NZSX 50
6,107.84 +0.32 DJIA
17,128.55 -367.29 Nikkei
18,986.80 -366.76 NASDAQ
4,923.08 -79.47 FTSE
6,052.42 -50.12 S&P 500
2,005.55 -36.34 Hang Seng
21,755.56 -116.50 SPI 200 Fut
5,021.00 -40.00 STI
2,852.84 -8.34 SSEC
3,579.49 -0.51 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Bonds
NetChg
NetChg AU 10 YR Bond
2.757 -0.010 US 10 YR Bond
2.204 +0.000 NZ 10 YR Bond
3.570 +0.000 US 30 YR Bond
2.920 +0.000 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Currencies
1700GMT
1700GMT AUD US$
0.7174 0.7140 NZD US$
0.6724 0.6707 EUR US$
1.0866 1.0860 Yen US$
121.20 121.80 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Commodities Gold (Lon)
1,062.50
Silver (Lon)
14.07 Gold (NY)
1,065.81
Light Crude
34.73 TRJCRB Index
172.16 +1.46 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Overnight market action with latest New York figures.
EQUITIES
NEW YORK - U.S. stocks closed lower on Friday for the second straight day, as concerns, ranging from a decline in crude oil prices to the global response to the Federal Reserve's interest hike, weighed down the market. The expiration of stock and index options contracts added volatility in a heavy trading volume day.
The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI closed down 367.25 points, or 2.1 percent, to 17,128.55, the S&P 500 .SPX had lost 36.34 points, or 1.78 percent, to 2,005.55 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC had dropped 79.47 points, or 1.59 percent, to 4,923.08.
For a full report, double click on .N
- - - -
LONDON - Britain's top equity index dipped on Friday, with investors showing renewed caution in the wake of the euphoria that followed the U.S. Fed's interest rate hike, but the index still set its biggest weekly gain in a month.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index .FTSE was down 0.8 percent at 6,052.42 points at its close, posting its biggest weekly gain in a month after rallying 0.7 percent in the previous session.
The losses on the FTSE 100 were broad-based, and among the top fallers was microprocessor designer ARM Holdings ARM.L , down 2 percent in a week marred by profit and outlook warnings from chip designers such as Imagination Tech IMG.L and Dialog Semiconductor DLGS.DE .
For a full report, double click on .L
- - - -
TOKYO - Japanese stocks fell on Friday in a session that turned volatile after the Bank of Japan announced it would maintain its massive stimulus programme's base money target while expanding the types of assets it purchases.
In the minutes after the BOJ announcement, the Nikkei share average .N225 rose as much as 2.7 percent, then plunged back into the red once investors realized it amounted to less of an expansion than initially thought.
By the session's end, the benchmark index was down 1.9 percent to 18,986.80, and had lost 1.3 percent for the week.
For a full report, double click on .T
- - - -
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
NEW YORK - The U.S. dollar tumbled against the yen on Friday after the Bank of Japan tweaked its monthly asset-purchase program in a way that traders viewed as minor, suggesting that the central bank may not ease policy as much as expected.
The dollar, which had hit a more than two-week high of 123.590 yen shortly after the announcement, was down about 1 percent against the yen at 121.290 yen JPY=EBS .
The euro rose slightly against the dollar, but analysts said the move was attributable to thin holiday trading rather than traders making bets on the fundamental outlook for the currency.
For a full report, double click on USD/
- - - -
TREASURIES
NEW YORK - Prices on U.S. Treasuries edged up Friday as stocks slipped and on rising investor skepticism over the Federal Reserve's ability to raise interest rates as much as it would like next year.
Weakness in stock markets and oil prices added to investor appetite for relatively safe U.S. government debt, as sliding oil prices suggest inflation will remain benign.
Two-year notes US2YT=RR were last up 3/32 in price to yield 0.9522 percent, down from 1.005 late on Thursday.
U.S. benchmark 10-year Treasury notes US10YT=RR were last up 13/32 in price to yield 2.190 percent, down from 2.238 percent late on Thursday.
The U.S. 30-year bond US30YT=RR was last up 20/32 in price to yield 2.904, down from 2.936 percent late on Thursday.
For a full report, double click on US/
- - - -
COMMODITIES
GOLD
NEW YORK - Gold rose more than 1 percent on Friday, recovering from its biggest daily loss in five months as stocks and the dollar retreated, but remained near multi-year lows after the Federal Reserve lifted U.S. interest rates.
The metal has recovered some lost ground after bottoming out on Thursday at $1,047.25 an ounce, within a couple dollars of a near six-year low reached on Dec. 3, after the first U.S. rate hike in nearly a decade.
Spot gold XAU= was up 1.3 percent at $1,065.30 an ounce at 2:10 p.m. EST (1910 GMT), while U.S. gold futures GCv1 for February delivery settled up 1.5 percent at $1,065 an ounce.
For a full report, double click on GOL/
- - - -
BASE METALS
LONDON - Copper jumped on Friday on a weaker dollar, year-end position squaring and rumours of potential stockpile purchases in China, but still scored a modest weekly decline.
Three-month copper on the LME CMCU3 closed up 3.1 percent at $4,685 a tonne, bouncing back after a 1.4 percent loss in the previous session.
Prices, however, slipped 0.4 percent for the week after two weeks of gains, extending a year-to-date retreat of about 26 percent. Three month lead CMPB3 surged 3.8 percent to finish at $1,679 a tonne, more than erasing Thursday's 2.9 percent losses. Aluminium CMAL3 ended 1.3 percent stronger at $1,505 a tonne, gaining support as cash traded at a $10.50 premium to the benchmark three-month price CMAL0-3 , the highest since April. LME tin CMSN3 closed 0.7 percent firmer at $14,745 while zinc CMZN3 rose 1.3 percent to $1,515 and nickel CMNI3 , untraded in closing rings, was bid up 1.5 percent at $8,760.
For a full report, double click on MET/L
- - - -
OIL
NEW YORK - Oil prices fell about half a percent on Friday after the U.S. oil rig count unexpectedly rose for the first time in five weeks, pressuring a market already at seven-year lows.
Global oil benchmark Brent and U.S. crude's West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures settled down for a third straight week. With two weeks to the year-end, both were slated to finish 2015 down about 35 percent on a rout driven by oil oversupplies.
WTI hit $34.29 a barrel, the lowest since February 2009, after the release of the Baker Hughes' report. It settled the day down 22 cents, or 0.6 percent, at $34.73. For the week, WTI lost 2.5 percent.
Brent LCOc1 finished the session down 18 cents, or 0.5 percent, at $36.88. Its session low was $36.41, just 21 cents above a 2004 bottom. Brent lost 3 percent on the week.
For a full report, double click on O/R
- - - -