----------------------------------------------------------------
05:28 / 1728 GMT ---------------------------------------------------------------- Stock Markets
NetChng
NetChng S&P/ASX 200
5,279.06 +7.92 NZSX 50
6,876.48 +51.98 DJIA
17,627.84 -23.42 Nikkei
16,147.38 -518.67 NASDAQ
4,711.48 -14.16 FTSE
6,117.25 +5.23 S&P 500
2,046.31 -4.81 Hang Seng
20,449.82 -76.01 SPI 200 Fut
5,206.00 -60.00 STI
2,767.81 -5.26 SSEC
2,998.14 +6.87 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Bonds
NetChg
NetChg AU 10 YR Bond
2.369 -0.020 US 10 YR Bond
1.756 -0.028 NZ 10 YR Bond
2.740 +0.000 US 30 YR Bond
2.614 -0.027 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Currencies
1700GMT
1700GMT AUD US$
0.7457 0.7505 NZD US$
0.6881 0.6908 EUR US$
1.1401 1.1486 Yen US$
107.22 107.04 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Commodities Gold (Lon)
1,280.25
Silver (Lon)
17.28 Gold (NY)
1,279.11
Light Crude
44.17 TRJCRB Index
178.77 -1.10 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Overnight market action with latest New York figures.
EQUITIES
NEW YORK - Wall Street trimmed early gains but remained higher in afternoon trading on Thursday as a rise in oil prices boosted energy shares, and investors awaited U.S. jobs data on Friday.
At 12:38 p.m. ET (1638 GMT) the Dow Jones industrial average .DJI was up 38.49 points, or 0.22 percent, at 17,689.75, the S&P 500 .SPX was up 3.25 points, or 0.16 percent, at 2,054.37 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC was up 7.65 points, or 0.16 percent, at 4,733.29.
For a full report, double click on .N
- - - -
LONDON - Britain's top share index steadied near a one-month low on Thursday, as gains in companies like BT BT.L and RSA RSA.L offset declines by companies such as Centrica CNA.L and Inmarsat ISA.L after they gave discouraging updates.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index .FTSE closed 0.09 percent higher at 6,117.25 points, a day after hitting a one-month low.
For a full report, double click on .L
- - - -
TOKYO - Japanese stock indexes tumbled to near a three-week low on Monday after the yen hit a fresh 18-month high against the dollar, hurting the profit outlook for exporters and other shares that benefit from a weaker yen.
The Nikkei share average .N225 ended the day 3.1 percent lower at 16,147.38, its lowest close since April 12.
For a full report, double click on .T
- - - -
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
NEW YORK - The dollar rose against a basket of currencies for a third day on Thursday as traders closed out profitable bets against the greenback before Friday's U.S. payrolls report which may confirm the view the Federal Reserve will not raise interest rates soon.
The greenback was up 0.3 percent JPY= at 107.35 yen after hitting a 18-month trough on Tuesday. The yen has gained more than 15 percent against the dollar over the past six months.
For a full report, double click on USD/
- - - -
TREASURIES
NEW YORK - U.s. Treasury yields were little changed on Thursday as the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose unexpectedly but remained within the range of a strong labor market, leaving investors with no clear signals ahead of Friday's nonfarm payrolls report.
Benchmark 10-year Treasuries US10YT=RR fell 3/32 in price to yield 1.79 percent.
For a full report, double click on US/
- - - -
COMMODITIES
GOLD
NEW YORK - Gold rebounded on Thursday from three straight days of losses as the dollar pared gains after a larger than expected rise in weekly jobless claims in the United States.
Spot gold XAU= , lower initially, rose 0.2 percent to $1,281.60 an ounce by 1348 GMT, though that was still down 1.5 percent from Monday's peak. U.S. gold futures GCcv1 rose 0.7 percent to $1,284.30.
For a full report, double click on GOL/
- - - -
BASE METALS
LONDON - Copper fell to its lowest in nearly three weeks on Thursday as the stronger dollar weighed on prices, with a slide below key technical support and concerns about demand adding to the downward pressure.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange CMCU3 ended down 1.7 percent to $4,786 a tonne from an earlier session low of $4,775.
For a full report, double click on MET/L
- - - -
OIL
NEW YORK - Oil prices jumped about 2 percent on Thursday, resuming their rally from last week, as a raging wildfire cut production from Canada's oil sands region and escalating Libyan violence raised more worries about immediate oil supplies than a longer-term glut.
Brent futures LCOc1 were up 78 cents, or 2.2 percent, at $45.40 a barrel by 12:49 p.m. EDT (1649 GMT).
For a full report, double click on O/R
- - - -