---------------------------------------------------------------- Snapshot at: 07:34 / 2034 GMT ---------------------------------------------------------------- Stock Markets
NetChng
NetChng S&P/ASX 200
5,319.94 +52.60 NZSX 50
6,319.39 +26.95 DJIA
17,615.17 -105.81 Nikkei
19,033.71 +51.48 NASDAQ
5,072.61 -35.33 FTSE
6,274.05 -40.52 S&P 500
2,064.88 -13.48 Hang Seng
21,882.15 -117.47 SPI 200 Fut
5,277.00 -13.00 STI
2,885.51 -2.71 SSEC
3,572.69 +8.96 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Bonds
NetChg
NetChg AU 10 YR Bond
2.839 +0.036 US 10 YR Bond
2.300 -0.007 NZ 10 YR Bond
3.610 +0.005 US 30 YR Bond
3.040 -0.001 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Currencies
1700GMT
1700GMT AUD US$
0.7283 0.7285 NZD US$
0.6836 0.6846 EUR US$
1.0932 1.0926 Yen US$
120.49 120.39 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Commodities Gold (Lon)
1,060.00
Silver (Lon)
13.86 Gold (NY)
1,068.61
Light Crude
36.70 TRJCRB Index
174.89 -2.45 ----------------------------------------------------------------
EQUITIES
NEW YORK - Wall Street fell on Wednesday as Brent crude slid towards 11-year lows and Apple (O:AAPL) weighed on the S&P 500 index, which clung to a meager gain for 2015.
At 2:24 p.m., the Dow Jones industrial average .DJI was down 0.25 percent at 17,677.32 points and the S&P 500 .SPX had lost 0.31 percent to 2,071.97. The Nasdaq Composite .IXIC had dropped 0.38 percent to 5,088.43.
For a full report, double click on .N
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LONDON - European stock markets fell on Wednesday as weak commodity prices hit the shares of mining and energy companies.
The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index .FTEU3 was down 0.5 percent at its close, while the euro zone's blue-chip Euro STOXX 50 index .STOXX50E fell 0.8 percent, surrendering ground after rising in the previous session.
Britain's FTSE 100 index of leading shares .FTSE fell 0.6 percent while Germany's DAX .GDAXI was down 1.1 percent.
For a full report, double click on .L
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TOKYO - Japanese stocks edged up in thin trade on Wednesday after a Wall Street rally helped brighten sentiment on the Nikkei's last trading day of 2015.
The Nikkei share average .N225 closed 0.3 percent higher at 19,033.71. The broader Topix .TOPX rose 0.3 percent to 1,547.30 in thin trade, with only 1.32 billion shares changing hands, the lowest since April 2014. The JPX-Nikkei Index 400 .JPXNK400 edged up 0.2 percent to 13,951.93.
For a full report, double click on .T
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SYDNEY - Australian stocks are set to follow a negative lead from Wall Street with sliding oil prices likely to weigh on energy shares.
Pointing to a soft start for Thursday's session, stock index futures YAPcm1 eased 0.2 percent to 5,277.0, a 42.9-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO .
The benchmark climbed 1.0 percent on Wednesday to a two-month closing high. Trading will end early at 0310 GMT, ahead of the New Year's Day holiday on Friday.
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FOREIGN EXCHANGE
NEW YORK - The U.S. dollar rallied against commodity currencies such as the Norwegian crown and Russian ruble on Wednesday after declining oil prices weighed on the currencies of oil-dependent economies, while short-covering kept the euro afloat.
The dollar hit a more than one-year high against the Russian currency of 73.45 rubles RUB= , and a more than one-week high of 8.798 crowns NOK=D3 against the Norwegian unit. The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was last up 0.23 percent .DXY at 98.321.
For a full report, double click on USD/
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TREASURIES
NEW YORK - U.S. Treasuries prices were mixed on Wednesday in thin and choppy year-end trading ahead of a seven-year note auction by the Treasury and as oil retreated.
The yield on the five-year note US5YT=RR climbed to 1.824 percent in morning trading, its highest level since September 2014, a move traders attributed to light volume and market volatility. The yield on the U.S. two-year note US2YT=RR was last up 1/32 in price to yield 1.091 percent.
Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury notes US10YT=RR were last down 1/32 in price to yield 2.310 percent, up from 2.307 percent late on Tuesday. The U.S. 30-year bond US30YT=RR was last down 5/32 in price to yield 3.049 percent, up from 3.041 percent late on Tuesday.
For a full report, double click on US/
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COMMODITIES
GOLD
LONDON - Gold fell on Wednesday, as the combination of a firm dollar and weak oil prices left the metal on track for its third consecutive annual loss.
Spot gold XAU= dipped 0.8 percent to $1,060.10 an ounce by 1938 GMT, while U.S. gold futures GCcv1 settled down $8.20 an ounce at $1,059.80. Trading volumes were muted in the holiday-shortened week.
For a full report, double click on GOL/
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BASE METALS
LONDON - Copper held steady on Wednesday, but expectations of surplus metal and weak demand in top consumer China mean prices look likely to come under further pressure over coming sessions.
Benchmark copper CMCU3 on the London Metal Exchange ended up 0.1 percent at $4,735, but the metal, used in power and construction, remained on course for a loss of more than 25 percent this year.
For a full report, double click on MET/L
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OIL
NEW YORK - Crude prices fell more than 3 percent on Wednesday, with Brent sliding toward 11-year lows, after an unusual build in U.S. stockpiles and signs Saudi Arabia will keep adding to the global oil glut.
Brent LCOc1 settled down $1.33, or 3.5 percent, at $36.46 a barrel. Its session low was $36.35, less than 40 cents from a 11-year bottom struck last week.
WTI CLc1 finished the session down $1.27, or 3.4 percent, at $36.60.
For a full report, double click on O/R
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