Overnight market action with latest New York figures.
EQUITIES
NEW YORK - U.S. stocks edged lower on Thursday, weighed down by a drop in consumer and healthcare names, while financials rose modestly after two more Federal Reserve officials pushed towards the case for a rate hike.
The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI fell 37.46 points, or 0.2 percent, to 18,444.02, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 3.34 points, or 0.15 percent, to 2,172.1 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 5.93 points, or 0.11 percent, to 5,211.76.
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LONDON - European equities fell on Thursday, dragged down by weaker miners and drugmakers, with investors cutting their exposure to riskier assets ahead of a key speech by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen on Friday.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX closed 0.8 percent lower, also weakened by a disappointing sentiment survey in Germany and pulling back from a one-week high hit on Wednesday.
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TOKYO - Japanese stocks edged down in thin trade on Thursday due to caution ahead of a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen on Friday, with global markets hoping for clues on the outlook for U.S. rates.
The benchmark Nikkei .N225 shed 0.3 percent to 16,555.95.
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FOREIGN EXCHANGE
NEW YORK - The dollar slipped on Thursday as some investors squaredpositions before the annual global central bankers' gathering in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen may offer new guidance on U.S. monetary policy.
In mid-morning trading, the euro rose 0.3 percent against the dollar to $1.1293 EUR= . The euro rose despite a weak German IFO survey showing German business morale deteriorated sharply in August as Brexit shock weighed on sentiment among executives.
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TREASURIES
NEW YORK - U.S. Treasury yields ended higher on Thursday after the government saw reduced demand for a sale of new seven-year notes, ahead of a highly anticipated speech by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen on Friday.
Benchmark 10-year notes US10YT=RR fell 5/32 in price to yield 1.58 percent, up from 1.56 percent late on Wednesday.
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COMMODITIES
GOLD
NEW YORK - Gold hit four-week lows on Thursday, under pressure from upbeat U.S. data in the run-up to a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen this week that will be watched for clues on monetary policy.
Spot gold XAU= was down 0.1 percent at $1,322.26 an ounce by 2:25 p.m. EDT (1825 GMT), while U.S. gold futures GCv1 for December delivery settled down 0.4 percent at $1,324.60.
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BASE METALS
LONDON - Nickel slumped to the lowest in over six weeks on Thursday after worries eased that an environmental crackdown on mines in the Philippines would create shortages of metal. Three-month nickel on the London Metal Exchange CMNI3 closed down 1.5 percent at $9,845 a tonne, the weakest since July 11 and extending a 2.6 percent slump from the previous session.
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OIL
NEW YORK - Oil prices rose on Thursday on speculation the dollar would drop on Friday's monetary policy speech by the U.S. Federal Reserve Chair, before paring gains on a Reuters interview with the Saudi Energy Minister that cast doubts about an OPEC output freeze.
Brent crude futures LCOc1 were up 18 cents, or 0.4 percent, at $49.23 a barrel by 1:51 p.m. EDT (1751 GMT), after rising to $49.68 earlier.
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