(Updates figures throughout)
WELLINGTON, March 18 (Reuters) - - -------------------------------------------------------------- Snapshot at: 07:45 / 1845 GMT --------------------------------------------------------------- Stock Markets
NetChng
NetChng S&P/ASX 200
5,168.15 +49.13 NZSX 50
6,573.45 +10.49 DJIA
17,481.49 +155.73 Nikkei
16,936.38 -38.07 NASDAQ
4,774.99 +11.02 FTSE
6,201.12 +25.63 S&P 500
2,040.59 +13.37 Hang Seng
20,503.81 +246.11 SPI 200 Fut
5,194.00 +24.00 STI
2,880.17 +35.96 SSEC
2,905.54 +35.11 --------------------------------------------------------------- Bonds
NetChg
NetChg AU 10 YR Bond
2.569 +0.005 US 10 YR Bond
1.898 -0.040 NZ 10 YR Bond
3.055 -0.010 US 30 YR Bond
2.689 -0.048 --------------------------------------------------------------- Currencies
1700GMT
1700GMT AUD US$
0.7640 0.7610 NZD US$
0.6839 0.6777 EUR US$
1.1312 1.1231 Yen US$
111.44 111.99 --------------------------------------------------------------- Commodities Gold (Lon)
1,266.50
Silver (Lon)
15.88 Gold (NY)
1,262.33
Light Crude
40.31 TRJCRB Index
177.66 +3.90 --------------------------------------------------------------- Overnight market action with latest New York figures.
EQUITIES
NEW YORK - Wall St moved higher on Thursday to push the Dow into positive territory for the year, as a weaker dollar pushed up commodity prices, boosting shares in the energy and materials sectors.
The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI rose 155.73 points, or 0.9 percent, to 17,481.49, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 13.37 points, or 0.66 percent, to 2,040.59 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 11.02 points, or 0.23 percent, to 4,774.99.
For a full report, double click on .N
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LONDON - UK shares edged higher on Thursday, outperforming their European counterparts, as miners were boosted by a weaker dollar after the U.S. Federal Reserve's dovish decision to hold interest rates steady.
The FTSE 100 index .FTSE rose 25.63 points, or 0.3 percent to 6,201.12 points by the close, outperforming steeper falls in euro zone shares.
For a full report, double click on .L
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TOKYO - Japanese stocks fell in a volatile trading on Thursday as the stronger yen dented investors' risk appetite and more than offset a rally after the U.S. Federal Reserve signalled fewer interest rate hikes this year.
The Nikkei share average .N225 ended 0.2 percent lower at 16,936.38. The index had earlier risen as much as 1.6 percent to hit an intraday high of 17,253.03.
The broader Topix .TOPX dropped 0.1 percent to 1,358.97. The JPX-Nikkei Index 400 .JPXNK400 declined 0.1 percent to 12,279.75.
For a full report, double click on .T
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SYDNEY - Australian shares are expected to open higher on Friday as a bounce in commodity prices encourage investors to buy mining and energy stocks.
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 were up 24.0 points, or 0.5 percent, at 5,194.0, a 25.8-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close.
On Thursday, the benchmark rose 49.17 points to 5,168.20.
For a full report, double click on .AXJO
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FOREIGN EXCHANGE
NEW YORK - The dollar tumbled against major currencies, extending declines triggered by Wednesday's Federal Reserve statement showing the U.S. central bank would likely take longer to raise rates than some had thought.
The dollar was down more than 1 percent against the euro, yen and Swiss franc, as markets took a more dovish view of Fed Chair Janet Yellen's post-meeting press conference.
For a full report, double click on USD/
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TREASURIES
NEW YORK - U.S. Treasury debt yields fell for the fourth straight session on Thursday, a day after the Federal Reserve lowered its expectations for interest rate hikes this year and expressed concerns about the state of global financial markets.
The 30-year bond US30YT=RR was last up more than a point in price, while yields fell to 2.676 percent from 2.710 percent late on Wednesday.
U.S. two-year notes US2YT=RR were unchanged in price, with yields dipping to 0.863 percent from 0.867 percent.
For a full report, double click on US/
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COMMODITIES
GOLD
NEW YORK - Gold turned lower, consolidating from a 2.5 percent surge in the previous session when the Federal Reserve cut the number of interest rate rises it forecasts for this year, sending the dollar sharply lower.
Spot gold XAU= was down 0.4 percent at $1,257.11 an ounce at 19.02 GMT, after climbing 0.7 percent to $1,270.90.
For a full report, double click on GOL/
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BASE METALS
LONDON - Copper jumped to its highest in more than four months on Thursday, boosted by signs from the U.S. Federal Reserve it will not raise rates to the extent flagged last year, falling inventories and higher stock markets.
Benchmark copper CMCU3 on the London Metal Exchange was untraded at the close, but bid up 2.7 percent at $5,069.5 a tonne after hitting $5,074 earlier in the session, its highest since Nov. 5.
For a full report, double click on MET/L
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OIL
NEW YORK - Oil prices hit 2016 highs, with U.S. crude surging 5 percent to pierce the $40 barrier, on optimism that major producers will strike an output freeze deal next month amid rising crude exports and gasoline demand in the United States.
The front-month in U.S. crude's West Texas Intermediate futures CLc1 settled up $1.74, or 4.5 percent, at $40.20, after scaling a 2016 high of $40.26, while Brent crude's front-month LCOc1 finished up $1.21 at $41.54.
For a full report, double click on O/R
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