* Chinese shares hit nine-month high
* U.S. stocks struggle for third straight day
* Bank of Canada cited "uncertainty" around future rate hikes (Updates with close of U.S. markets, oil settlement prices)
By Chuck Mikolajczak
NEW YORK, March 6 (Reuters) - A gauge of global stocks lost ground for a third straight session on Wednesday, unable to build momentum from a jump in Chinese equities, while the Canadian dollar weakened after a dovish turn by the Bank of Canada.
Major U.S. indexes once again struggled to gain ground, with the S&P 500 appearing to have met a strong resistance point around the 2,800 level. After a strong start to the year, a lack of developments in trade negotiations between the United States and China has provided little incentive for investors to push equities higher.
"We're just kind of treading water, waiting for confirmation one way or the other," said Eric Wiegand, senior portfolio manager at U.S. Bank Wealth Management in New York. "Just looking for a resolution, we have posturing not policy, so clarity is what is expected at these levels."
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 132.22 points, or 0.51 percent, to 25,674.41, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 18.16 points, or 0.65 percent, to 2,771.49 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 70.44 points, or 0.93 percent, to 7,505.92.
The S&P 500 fell for a third straight session and sixth in the last seven trading days.
Even with little on the trade front, Chinese shares .SSEC surged to a nine-month high, bolstered by hopes of more stimulus measures from Beijing after China's state planner said the government would implement measures to further boost domestic consumption to counter the impact of a slowing economy. shares closed just below the unchanged mark, as weak results from the troubled auto sector weighed and investor confidence in a rally that has sent stocks shooting up this year showed signs of fraying. pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX lost 0.04 percent and MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe .MIWD00000PUS shed 0.38 percent.
In the latest sign of global central bank dovishness, the Bank of Canada held interest rates steady as expected on Wednesday amid a slowing economy and said there was "increased uncertainty" around the timing of future rate increases. in turned pushed the Canadian dollar to its lowest in about two months versus the greenback.
The dollar index .DXY fell 0.01 percent, with the euro EUR= up 0.04 percent to $1.1311.
The Canadian dollar fell 0.64 percent versus the greenback to 1.34 per dollar.
Despite the dovish lean by central banks, the Federal Reserve reported the U.S. economy continued growing in the first weeks of 2019 amid a still tight labor market in the face of a 35-day partial federal government shutdown and slowing global growth. oil prices were lower and Brent prices edged up after data from the Energy Information Administration showed an unexpectedly sharp build in U.S. crude inventories, but a third weekly drawdown in gasoline stocks kept losses at bay. crude CLcv1 settled down 0.6 percent at $56.22 per barrel and Brent LCOcv1 was last at $65.99.
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http://tmsnrt.rs/2jvdmXl Global currencies vs. dollar
http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh MSCI All Country Wolrd Index Market Cap
http://tmsnrt.rs/2EmTD6j
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