(UPDATE) -----------------------(07:20 / 2120 GMT)----------------------- Stock Markets
5,387.87 +5.79 NZSX 50
5,737.69 -19.53 DJIA
17,439.09 +36.58 Nikkei
20,595.55 +202.78 NASDAQ
5,033.56 -10.83 FTSE
6,568.33 -2.86 S&P 500
2,083.39 -2.66 Hang Seng
24,018.80 +102.78 SPI 200 Fut
5,310.00 -7.00 TRJCRB Index
197.83 -1.07
Bonds
AU 10 YR Bond
2.788 +0.031 US 10 YR Bond
2.189 +0.059 NZ 10 YR Bond
3.340 -0.010 US 30 YR Bond
2.857 +0.038
Currencies (Prev at 7pm NZST)
AUD US$
0.7360 0.7361 NZD US$
0.6566 0.6600 EUR US$
1.1149 1.1126 Yen US$
124.42 124.46
Commodities
Gold (Lon)
1116.75
Silver (Lon)
15.40
Gold (NY)
1124.90
Light Crude
42.20
---------------------------------------------------------------- Overnight market action with latest New York figures.
EQUITIES
NEW YORK -U.S. stocks finished flat on Thursday as a drop in energy shares offset a rebound in retail sales and stronger-than-expected Cisco results.
The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI rose 5.74 points, or 0.03 percent, to 17,408.25, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 2.66 points, or 0.13 percent, to 2,083.39 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 10.83 points, or 0.21 percent, to 5,033.56. The S&P financial index .SPSY rose 0.3 percent, after falling in the previous two sessions.
For a full report, double click on .N
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LONDON - Britain's top equity index ended flat on Thursday as easing concerns over China's economy helped to offset the impact of falling oil prices and a large number of ex-dividend companies.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index .FTSE closed down 2.86 points flat in percentage terms - at 6,568.33, trimming the gains seen earlier in the session and underperforming broader European equities.
For a full report, double click on .L
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TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei share average rose on Thursday after China's central bank soothed markets saying there was no basis for further yuan depreciation, prompting buyback in defensive shares.
The Nikkei average .N225 rose 1.0 percent to 20,595.55. The broader Topix .TOPX , which had been down during morning trading, recovered to close up 0.1 percent at 1,667.95, though decliners outnumbered gainers by 927 to 830.
For a full report, double click on .T
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SYDNEY - Australian shares are set to open about 7 points lower tracking a fall in oil prices and a flat finish on Wall Street.
Local share price index futures YAPcm1 fell 0.1 percent or 7.0 points to 5310.0 a 77.8-point discount to the underlying S&PASX200 index. The benchmark rose 5.8 points to 5,387.9 by close of trade on Thursday.
Focus is likely to be on the Reserve Bank Assistant Governor Christopher Kent's speech on 'Recent Labour Market Developments' in Brisbane on Friday.
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FOREIGN EXCHANGE
NEW YORK - The U.S. dollar gained back some ground on Thursday after China's central bank said there was no basis for further depreciation of the yuan, refocusing attention on the likelihood of a Federal Reserve interest rate increase in September.
The spot yuan CNY=CFXS weakened about 0.2 percent on the day to 6.3990 per dollar after dropping to roughly a four-year low of 6.4510 on Wednesday. The yuan was also down about 0.2 percent in international trade at 6.4593 per dollar CNH=.
For a full report, double click on USD/
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TREASURIES
NEW YORK - U.S. Treasuries yields rose on Thursday as global markets steadied on Chinese reassurances there was no reason for the yuan to drop further and strong U.S. retail sales data lifted expectations that policymakers will soon raise interest rates.
Yields on the comparable 10-year U.S. Treasury US10YT=RR were last up 4 basis points at 2.1677 percent, reflecting a price gain of 9/32.
The 30-year Treasury US30YT=RR was off 11/32 in price and yielding 2.8374 percent ahead of government auction of $16 billion of 30-year bonds later on Thursday.
For a full report, double click on US/
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COMMODITIES
GOLD
NEW YORK - Gold fell 1 percent on Thursday, snapping five sessions of gains, as the dollar strengthened on the back of upbeat U.S. data and concerns eased over further losses in the yuan after the devaluation of the currency by China.
Spot gold XAU= was down 1 percent at $1,114.26 an ounce at 2:53 p.m. EDT (1853 GMT), while U.S. gold futures GCv1 for December delivery settled down 0.7 percent at $1,115.60 an ounce. Earlier it hit its highest since mid July at $1,126.30.
For a full report, double click on GOL/
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BASE METALS
LONDON - Copper steadied on Thursday above the previous session's six-year low after China's central bank said there was no basis for further yuan depreciation, dampening concerns that the country's appetite for metals imports could wane.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange CMCU3 gained as much as 1.2 percent to an intraday high of $5,253 a tonne. It failed to trade in closing open outcry activity and was last bid down 0.1 percent at $5,184.50.
For a full report, double click on MET/L
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OIL
NEW YORK - U.S. oil prices tumbled more than 3 percent to a 6-1/2-year low under $42 a barrel on Thursday as data showing a big rise in key U.S. stockpiles intensified worries over a growing global glut.
U.S. crude CLc1 settled down $1.07 at $42.23 a barrel, after setting a session bottom at $41.91, its lowest since March 2009 when the financial crisis was wreaking havoc on oil prices.
Global crude benchmark Brent LCOc1 settled down 44 cents, or almost 1 percent, at $49.22, ahead of Friday's expiry of its front-month contract. Brent's premium to U.S. crude CL-LCO1=R hit a three-week high of nearly $7.
For a full report, double click on O/R
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