---------------------------------------------------------------- Snapshot at: 07:41 / 2041 GMT ---------------------------------------------------------------- Stock Markets
NetChng
NetChng S&P/ASX 200
5,295.9 -24.04 NZSX 50
6,324.26 +4.87 DJIA
17,425.03 -178.84 Nikkei
19,033.71 +51.48 NASDAQ
n/a
n/a FTSE
6,242.32 -31.73 S&P 500
2,043.94 -19.42 Hang Seng
21,914.40 +32.25 SPI 200 Fut
n/a
n/a STI
2,882.73 -2.78 SSEC
3,539.60 -33.28 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Bonds
NetChg
NetChg AU 10 YR Bond
2.889 +0.000 US 10 YR Bond
2.269 +0.000 NZ 10 YR Bond
3.595 -0.010 US 30 YR Bond
3.015 +0.000 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Currencies
1700GMT
1700GMT AUD US$
0.7287 0.7296 NZD US$
0.6828 0.6840 EUR US$
1.0857 1.0858 Yen US$
120.13 120.30 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Commodities Gold (Lon)
1,062.25
Silver (Lon)
13.79 Gold (NY)
1,060.24
Light Crude
37.04 TRJCRB Index
n/a
n/a ---------------------------------------------------------------- Overnight market action with latest New York figures.
EQUITIES
NEW YORK - Wall Street dropped on Thursday, leaving the S&P 500 marginally lower for a year marked by record highs as well as a major selloff.
In a reversal of one of 2015's major trends, oil shares moved higher, with the S&P energy sector up 0.34 percent and alone among gainers.
On the last trading day of 2015, the S&P 500 fell 0.94 percent to 2,043.94 points, leaving it with a total loss of 0.71 percent for the year. The S&P's total return, including dividends, was about 1.40 percent, according to preliminary data
The Dow Jones industrial average lost 2.23 percent for the year, its first annual decline since 2008. The Nasdaq Composite gained 5.73 percent after surpassing levels not seen since the dot-com bubble in 2000.
For a full report, double click on .N
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LONDON - European shares ended 2015 mostly higher than where they started, but well below their peaks after weak commodity prices weighed on markets in the final quarter.
Britain's blue-chip FTSE 100 index .FTSE shed 0.5 percent on Thursday and France's benchmark CAC-40 index .FCHI was down 0.9 percent, while Germany's DAX .GDAXI was closed for a public holiday and other markets had half-day sessions.
For a full report, double click on .L
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TOKYO - Japanese stocks were closed for a public holiday.
For a full report on its last day of trading, double click on .T
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SYDNEY - Australian stocks are set for a weak start on Monday, tracking a negative lead from Wall Street on its last 2015 trading day with falling commodity prices likely to provide headwind.
Global miner BHP Billiton (L:BLT) BHP.AX is expected to open lower after a 1 percent loss in its U.S. ADRs BHP.N .
The local stock index futures YAPcm1 fell 0.6 percent to 5,257.0, a 38.8-point discount to the close of the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO on Thursday.
The benchmark ended the year more than 2 percent down, disappointing investors for the second year in a row as slumping iron ore and metal prices hit bluechip mining stocks while onerous capital rules hurt the heavyweight banking sector. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N14K03X
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FOREIGN EXCHANGE
NEW YORK - The dollar ended 2015 with a more than 9 percent annual gain against a basket of currencies on Thursday, despite falling in December, with portfolio rebalancing from asset managers leading the currency higher in thin trading.
Riding a rally dating to May 2014, the greenback has appreciated by a quarter in value against a basket of currencies .DXY and by 22 percent against the euro. For the year, the greenback rose over 10 percent against the euro for its second straight yearly gain.
On Thursday, the euro hit a more than one-week low against the dollar of $1.08530 EUR= , with analysts attributing the move to purchases of dollar-denominated assets from money managers moving to meet minimum exposure requirements.
For a full report, double click on USD/
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TREASURIES
NEW YORK - U.S. Treasuries prices rose on Thursday to end the year higher than expected by many investors and with the yield curve flatter than in 2014.
The two-year note US2YT=RR ended the year up 2/32 in price to yield 1.051 percent on Thursday, down from 1.079 percent on Wednesday. The yield had reached 1.103 percent on Tuesday, its highest level since April 2010.
Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury notes US10YT=RR ended the year up 10/32 in price to yield 2.269 percent, up 27 basis points for the year.
The U.S. 30-year bond US30YT=RR closed the year up 18/32 in price to yield 3.015 percent, up 8 basis points for the year.
For a full report, double click on US/
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COMMODITIES
GOLD
NEW YORK - Gold was steady on Thursday, ending the year down 10 percent for its third straight annual decline, ahead of another potentially challenging year in 2016 amid the prospect of higher U.S. interest rates and a robust dollar.
The most-active U.S. gold futures GCcv1 for February delivery settled at $1,060.2 per ounce on Thursday, almost flat compared with Wednesday's close of $1,059.8 and close to six-year lows of $1,046 per ounce earlier in December. (Full Story)
Spot gold XAU= was down 0.2 percent at $1,061.4 an ounce at 1:57 p.m. EDT (1857 GMT), during the last trading session of the year. Volumes were thin ahead of the New Year holiday on Friday.
For a full report, double click on GOL/
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BASE METALS
LONDON - Copper and zinc lost a quarter of their value in 2015 while nickel fell by more than 40 percent as slowing growth in top consumer China, a supply overhang and a strong dollar hammered industrial metals.
Benchmark copper CMCU3 on the London Metal Exchange ended 2015 at $4,705 per tonne, falling 0.6 percent on Thursday. Last month copper hit a 6-1/2 year low of $4,443.50.
U.S. COMEX copper prices settled at $2.135 per lb, down a quarter from last year. (Full Story)
For a full report, double click on MET/L
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OIL
NEW YORK - Oil prices rose on Thursday but fell as much as 35 percent for the year after a race to pump by Middle East crude producers and U.S. shale oil drillers created an unprecedented global glut that may take through 2016 to clear.
Brent crude LCOc1 settled up 82 cents at $37.28 a barrel, rebounding from a near 11-year low of $36.10 hit earlier in the session. For the month, it was down 16 percent and for the year, it fell 35 percent. In 2014, Brent lost 48 percent.
WTI CLc1 rose 44 cents to $37.04 a barrel. It slid 11 percent in December and 30 percent for the year, after a 46 percent loss in 2014.
For a full report, double click on O/R
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