Stock Markets Net Chng Stock Markets Net Chng S&P/ASX 200** NZX 50** 61.23 7,511.60 9.90 12,152.16
DJIA NIKKEI**
33,990.01 -102.95 27,402.05 55.17
Nasdaq FTSE**
12,185.922 369.60 7,820.16 59.05
S&P 500 Hang Seng**
4,179.32 60.11 21,958.36 -113.82
SPI 200 Fut STI**
7,476.00 29.00 3,363.68 -13.97
SSEC** KOSPI**
3,285.67 0.75 2,468.88 19.08
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Bonds Bonds
JP 10 YR Bond KR 10 YR Bond
0.495 0.001 3.207 -0.032
AU 10 YR Bond US 10 YR Bond
3.414 -0.118 3.3799 -0.018
NZ 10 YR Bond US 30 YR Bond
4.085 0 3.5383 -0.012
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Currencies
SGD US$ KRW US$
1.3094 0.003 1,223.75 1.47
AUD US$ NZD US$
0.70775 -0.00595 0.6479 -0.0025
EUR US$ Yen US$
1.0909 -0.008 128.42 -0.51
THB US$ PHP US$
32.95 0.15 53.84 -0.6
IDR US$ INR US$
14,875 -95 82.028 0.298
MYR US$ TWD US$
4.243 -0.02 29.7 -0.265
CNY US$ HKD US$
6.7357 -0.0078 7.8435 0.0011
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Commodities
Spot Gold Silver (Lon)
1,912.97 -37.45 23.4963 -0.4831
U.S. Gold Fut Brent Crude
1,934.80 -8 83.09 0.25
Iron Ore CNY841.50 TRJCRB Index
-25.5 - -
TOCOM Rubber JPY226.8 LME Copper
1.2 9,041 -40
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** indicates closing price
All prices as of 18:13 GMT EQUITIES GLOBAL - A gauge of global stocks rallied and U.S. Treasury yields mostly fell on Thursday, as policy announcements from a string of central banks fueled optimism that interest rate hike cycles may be nearing an end. The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 1.37% and MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe gained 1.21%. For a full report, click on - - - - NEW YORK - The Nasdaq rose more than 2% on Thursday to hit a near five-month intra-day high as Meta Platforms surged on rigorous cost controls, while a dovish message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell boosted bets of a softer landing for the U.S. economy. At 10:21 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 185.50 points, or 0.54%, at 33,907.46, the S&P 500 was up 34.99 points, or 0.85%, at 4,154.20, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 253.10 points, or 2.14%, at 12,069.42. For a full report, click on - - - - LONDON - Euro zone shares hit their highest level in nearly a year on Thursday, as hawkish messages from the European Central Bank (ECB) failed to derail investor hopes the global rate hiking cycle was close to an end. A widely watched gauge of euro zone stocks closed up 1.8% at its highest since Feb. 18 last year, while the broader STOXX 600 index rose 1.4%. For a full report, click on - - - - TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei share average ended slightly higher on Thursday, led by technology heavyweights after the Nasdaq jumped overnight, while a stronger yen weighed on exporters and limited the index's advance. The Nikkei index edged up 0.2% to close at 27,402.05. Of the Nikkei components, 51 stocks rose, 171 fell and three traded flat. For a full report, click on - - - - SHANGHAI - China and Hong Kong stocks retraced gains seen in the early trading hours of Thursday and finished lower, as investors stayed on the sideline and awaited further signs of recovery in the pandemic-hit Chinese economy. China's blue-chip CSI 300 Index lost 0.35% at close, while the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.02%. For a full report, click on - - - - AUSTRALIA - Australian shares rose to a more than nine-month closing high on Thursday, helped by gains in gold and tech stocks, after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's comment raised hopes that the U.S. central bank would soon end its interest rate-hike spree. The S&P/ASX 200 index settled 0.13% higher at 7,511.60, its highest close since April 21. For a full report, click on - - - - SEOUL - South Korean shares rose for a second straight session on Thursday, as investors took U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's remarks as dovish and hoped that the tightening would now be closer to an end than before. The benchmark KOSPI ended up 19.08 points, or 0.70%, at 2,468.88, building on its 1.02% gain in the previous session. For a full report, click on - - - - FOREIGN EXCHANGE NEW YORK - The euro dipped against the dollar on Thursday after the European Central Bank (ECB) hiked interest rates by a widely expected 50 basis points and offered no new hawkish surprises, while the Bank of England (BofE) adopted a more dovish tone on inflation. The dollar gained 0.61% against a basket of currencies to 101.56. For a full report, click on - - - - SHANGHAI - China's yuan jumped to a more than two-week high against a falling dollar on Thursday, as the Federal Reserve said it had turned a corner in the fight against inflation, with investors expecting the U.S. tightening cycle may end soon. In the spot market, the onshore yuan opened at 6.7060 per dollar and strengthened as far as 6.7007 at one point, its strongest level since Jan. 16. By midday, it was changing hands at 6.7148, 287 pips firmer than the previous late session close. For a full report, click on - - - - AUSTRALIA - The Australian dollar rallied to an eight-month high on Thursday after the Federal Reserve Chair Powell struck a dovish tone by noting that inflation was easing in the U.S. economy, igniting a risk-on rally across markets. The Aussie was at $0.7158 , highest since $0.7283 hit in early June, which is also the next major bull target level. It surged 1.2% a day earlier, breaking past a key resistance level of $0.7136. Support now lies at the 14-day moving average of $0.7039. For a full report, click on - - - - SEOUL - The Korean won jumped to its highest level in nearly ten months on Thursday, while the benchmark bond yield fell. The won ended onshore trade 0.90% higher at 1,220.3 per dollar, after touching the highest level since April 5, 2022 at 1,216.4. For a full report, click on - - - - TREASURIES NEW YORK - U.S. Treasury yields dipped on Thursday after economic data that showed layoffs surged in January to their highest levels since 2009, though first-time applications for unemployment benefits unexpectedly dipped last week. The yield on 10-year Treasury notes was down 2.3 basis points to 3.375% in afternoon trading. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was down 2.1 basis points to 3.529%. For a full report, click on - - - - LONDON - Euro zone government bond yields tumbled on Thursday after remarks from the European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve fuelled hopes that the cycle of punishing interest rate hikes might end soon. Germany's 10-year yield was last down 21 bps to 2.086%. That was far below an 11-year high of 2.569% touched at the turn of the year. Yields fall as prices rise, and vice versa. For a full report, click on - - - - TOKYO - Japan's 10-year government bond yield on Thursday rose to 0.495%, close to the Bank of Japan's policy ceiling, after an auction for the bond with the same maturity witnessed weak demand. The 10-year JGB yield rose 1.5 basis points to 0.495%, its highest level since Jan. 18, approaching the top end of the BOJ's yield target of 0.5%. For a full report, click on COMMODITIES GOLD Gold prices slipped more than 1% on Thursday as the dollar rebounded and some investors locked in profits after bullion scaled a nine-month peak on dovish remarks from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Spot gold sank 1.4% to $1,922.89 per ounce by 10:18 a.m. ET (1518 GMT), having hit its highest since April 2022 earlier in the session. For a full report, click on - - - - IRON ORE Iron ore futures fell to a two-week low on Thursday as traders reassessed demand prospects in key consumer China, despite expectations for more policy stimulus to support the country's economic rebound. The most-traded May iron ore on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange ended daytime trade 3.3% lower at 841.50 yuan ($125.29) a tonne. It earlier hit 839 yuan, its weakest since Jan. 18. For a full report, click on - - - - BASE METALS Copper prices moved higher on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve cemented expectations that rapid interest rate rises will end soon, weakening the dollar and making dollar-priced metals cheaper for buyers with other currencies. The benchmark three-month contract on the London Metal Exchange (LME) was up 0.5% at $9,135 a tonne in official open-outcry trading, but down around 1.5% this week. For a full report, click on - - - - OIL Oil prices steadied on Thursday on mixed data about the state of the U.S. economy and looming sanctions on Russian oil products. Brent crude futures fell 5 cents to $82.79 a barrel by 12:39 a.m. ET (1739) GMT, while West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) rose 3 cents to $76.44. For a full report, click on - - - - PALM OIL Malaysian palm oil futures closed down for a second straight session on Thursday, weighed down by weakness in rival Dalian edible oils, low exports and a firmer ringgit. The benchmark palm oil contract for April delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange slid 65 ringgit, or 1.7%, to 3,750 ringgit ($883.81) a tonne. For a full report, click on - - - - RUBBER Japanese rubber futures fell on Thursday, extending losses to a fifth consecutive session, as a recent shrinking in factory activity continued to weigh on demand sentiment, while losses in the Shanghai market added pressure. Osaka Exchange's rubber contract for July delivery , finished 3.4 yen, or 1.5%, lower at 225.6 yen ($1.75) per kg, after hitting its lowest since Jan. 17 at 224.4 yen earlier in the session. For a full report, click on - - - - (Bengaluru Bureau; +91 80 6749 1130)
