* Wall Street dips as Wal-Mart (N:WMT) weighs
* Oil turns negative after inventory data
* Dollar capped vs yen after Fed Bullard's dovish comments (Adds close of European markets, changes byline)
By Chuck Mikolajczak
NEW YORK, Feb 18 (Reuters) - A gauge of stocks around the globe edged higher on Thursday, extending its best run of the year, as hopes for a stabilization in oil prices lifted emerging markets while earnings in Europe and the United States limited gains.
Brent crude LCOc1 was down 1 percent to $34.15 while U.S. crude shed 0.03 percent as the commodity pared earlier gains after data showed a build in U.S. crude oil inventories. had earlier climbed above $35 a barrel and has gained more than 3 percent so far this week after Iran welcomed plans by Russia and Saudi Arabia to freeze output.
U.S. oil CLc1 has gained 4.5 percent so far this week.
The dollar .DXY was up slightly against a basket of currencies even after comments on Wednesday from one of the Federal Reserve's traditional "hawks," James Bullard, that it would be "unwise" now for the central bank to keep hiking rates given low inflation expectations and market volatility. uptick in commodities and stall in dollar strength helped boost emerging market stocks with the MSCI Emerging market index .MSCIEF rising 1.2 percent, after touching its highest level in six weeks.
"Oil prices rising, it helps emerging markets, the notion that the Fed has no rate hike in March, it helps emerging markets," said Quincy Krosby, market strategist at Prudential Financial (N:PRU) in Newark, New Jersey.
"Right now, over $30 (oil) is helpful for the tone in the market."
Wall Street was lower with consumer stocks weighing on the S&P 500 after Wal-Mart WMT.N reported a decline in quarterly earnings and cut its full-year forecast. IBM (N:IBM) IBM.N advanced after a Morgan Stanley (N:MS) upgrade and helped curb declines.
The action in stocks followed the best three-day run for the S&P 500 since August. MSCI's index of world shares .MIWD00000PUS was up 0.02 percent after its best three-day performance since 2011.
The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI fell 51.56 points, or 0.31 percent, to 16,402.27, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 10.43 points, or 0.54 percent, to 1,916.39 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 44.32 points, or 0.98 percent, to 4,489.74.
European equities fell back in a choppy session after climbing to a two-week high on Thursday, as gains in tech shares were counteracted by a decline in commodity related stocks in the energy and mining sectors. pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 index shed 0.14 percent as the overall earnings picture remained weak.
Europe's session was volatile as EU leaders began a two-day summit in Brussels. But the mood improved after European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he was "quite confident" a deal would be reached to keep Britain in the EU.
Prime Minister David Cameron said hard work and good will should help him clinch a deal at the summit, described by leaders of the 28-nation bloc as the best chance of preventing Britain leaving. Treasury debt prices rose as stocks struggled to extend their gains. Benchmark 10-year Treasury notes US10YT=RR last traded 17/32 higher in price for a yield of 1.7586 percent. euro slipped 0.13 percent versus the greenback EUR= at $1.1113 and the yen JPY= was up 0.54 percent against the dollar at 113.46.
Safe-haven gold XAU= added 2.2 percent to $1,235.56.