Stock Markets Net Chng Stock Markets Net Chng S&P/ASX 200** NZX 50** 19.80 7,219.00 -18.20 11,866.83
DJIA 33,478.99 -3.73 NIKKEI** 27,507.65 -305.61
Nasdaq FTSE**
12,075.828 78.97 7,741.56 78.62
S&P 500 4,101.72 11.34 Hang Seng**
20,331.2 56.61
SPI 200 Fut STI**
7,248.00 9.00 3,300.48 -18.39
SSEC** KOSPI**
3,312.63 0.07 2,459.23 -35.98
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Bonds Bonds
JP 10 YR Bond KR 10 YR Bond
0.462 -0.008 3.278 -0.049
AU 10 YR Bond US 10 YR Bond
3.184 -0.01 3.2902 0.003
NZ 10 YR Bond US 30 YR Bond
3.96 -0.08 3.5405 -0.016
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Currencies
SGD US$ KRW US$
1.329 0.001 1,315.12 -1.93
AUD US$ NZD US$
0.66805 -0.00415 0.6257 -0.0059
EUR US$ Yen US$
1.0932 0.0029 131.69 0.38
THB US$ PHP US$
34.04 0.14 54.498 0.068
IDR US$ INR US$
14,910 -10 81.82 -0.1
MYR US$ TWD US$
4.397 0 30.528 0.074
CNY US$ HKD US$
6.8701 -0.0069 7.8498 0.0004
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Commodities
Spot Gold Silver (Lon)
2,010.47 -9.8833 24.93 -0.045
U.S. Gold Fut 2,009.56 Brent Crude
-26.04 84.96 -0.03
Iron Ore CNY793 TRJCRB Index
- - -
TOCOM Rubber JPY205.6 LME Copper 8,809 154
-0.9
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** indicates closing price
All prices as of 18:05 GMT
EQUITIES GLOBAL - U.S. stocks headed lower and Treasury yields halted their plunge on Thursday, as investors digested weak labor market data and looked to Friday's jobs report for signs the Federal Reserve's restrictive policy could be edging the economy closer to recession. The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.49% and MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe shed 0.27%. For a full report, click on - - - -
NEW YORK - The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq reversed early declines on the last day of a holiday-shortened week, with risk-wary investors looking forward to monthly jobs data for a clearer picture of the economy. At 11:56 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 52.07 points, or 0.16%, at 33,430.65, the S&P 500 was up 2.83 points, or 0.07%, at 4,093.21, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 40.02 points, or 0.33%, at 12,036.88. For a full report, click on - - - -
LONDON - European shares rose on Thursday, heading into a long Easter weekend break, as real estate and travel stocks helped outweigh concerns over a U.S. economic slowdown that were triggered by lacklustre data. The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.5%, posting its third consecutive weekly gain, with banking stocks among the biggest boosts. For a full report, click on - - - -
TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei share average ended at a two-week low on Thursday, led by a sell-off of exporters on the back of yen's overnight strength, while heavyweight technology stocks tracked the Nasdaq's weakness. The Nikkei index fell 1.22% to close at 27,472.63, its lowest since March 24.
For a full report, click on - - - -
SHANGHAI - China stocks ended roughly flat on Thursday as investors weighed fresh evidence of economic recovery against simmering Sino-U.S. tensions, while chipmakers continued to soar. Hong Kong shares rose, led by healthcare and materials shares. China's blue-chip CSI300 Index fell 0.2%, while the Shanghai Composite Index was little changed. For a full report, click on - - - -
AUSTRALIA - Australian shares ended lower on Thursday, snapping an eight-day winning streak, as heavy losses in financials and energy stocks weighed on the benchmark index after the central bank flagged risks of global credit crunch on the banking sector. The S&P/ASX 200 index fell 0.3% to close at 7,219.0 points. The benchmark closed marginally higher on Wednesday. For a full report, click on - - - -
SEOUL - South Korean shares ended more than 1% lower on Thursday, after weak economic indicators intensified recession worries. The benchmark KOSPI closed down 35.98 points, or 1.44%, at 2,459.23, retreating from its 7-1/2-month peak hit a day before. For a full report, click on - - - -
FOREIGN EXCHANGE NEW YORK - The dollar gained against most of its peers on Thursday in thin trading, as investors consolidated positions and pondered how pivotal U.S. jobs data coming out on a stock trading holiday might impact Federal Reserve policy and unleash a potentially volatile market reaction. In late morning trading, the U.S. dollar index , which hit a two-month low this week, thanks in part to a drop in Treasury yields, was up 0.1% at 101.96. For a full report, click on - - - -
SHANGHAI - China's yuan eased against a rising dollar on Thursday, while investors were anxiously awaiting U.S. non-farm payrolls for more clues on the U.S. monetary tightening trajectory. In the spot market, the onshore yuan opened at 6.8810 per dollar and was changing hands at 6.8799 at midday, 29 pips softer than the previous late session close on Tuesday. For a full report, click on - - - -
AUSTRALIA - The Australian and New Zealand dollars retreated on Thursday, as a slew of soft U.S. data added to the risk of a recession and boosted demand for the safe-haven dollar, while caution reigned ahead of the release of U.S. non-farm payrolls data. The Aussie slipped 0.4% to $0.6696 , having breached its 200-day moving average support of $0.6750 overnight to finish 0.5% lower, weighed by a dovish Reserve Bank of Australia which put rate hikes on hold this month. For a full report, click on - - - -
SEOUL - The Korean won weakened on Thursday, while the benchmark bond yield fell. The won ended onshore trade at 1,319.1 per dollar, 0.65% lower than its previous close at 1,310.5. For a full report, click on - - - -
TREASURIES
NEW YORK - Treasury yields held steady on Thursday following recent sharp declines after the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, giving the market pause a day before a key unemployment report. The two-year Treasury yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations, fell 0.3 basis points at 3.761%. For a full report, click on - - - -
LONDON - Euro area short-dated yields rose on Thursday after U.S. labour data, while robust numbers allayed recession worries in Germany. Germany's two-year yield , the most sensitive to changes in policy rate expectations, was up 3.5 basis points (bps) at 2.55%. For a full report, click on - - - -
TOKYO - Japanese government bond yields fell on Thursday, with sentiment underpinned by a moderately strong outcome of an auction for 30-year bonds. The 10-year JGB yield was flat at 0.465%, rebounding from 0.460% earlier in the session. For a full report, click on COMMODITIES
GOLD Gold prices eased on Thursday ahead of a key U.S. jobs report, but bullion was still on track for a weekly rise as weak U.S. economic data spurred worries of a slowdown. Spot gold was down 0.5% to $2,009.56 per ounce by 1:16 p.m. EDT (17:16 GMT), while U.S. gold futures for June delivery fell 0.5% to $2,025.50. For a full report, click on - - - -
IRON ORE
Dalian and Singapore iron ore futures retreated in afternoon trade on Thursday after weaker-than-expected steel demand data disappointed the market. The most-traded September iron ore futures contract on the Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) ended daytime trading 1% lower at a two-week low of 793 yuan ($115.35) a tonne. For a full report, click on - - - -
BASE METALS
Copper prices ticked higher on Thursday, boosted by optimism over recovering demand in top metals consumer China as speculators acted on upbeat technical signals. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) edged up 0.3% to $8,809 a tonne by 1600 GMT after a modest gain in the previous session. For a full report, click on - - - -
OIL
Oil held steady in choppy trading on Thursday and was on track for a third weekly gain as markets weighed further production cuts targeted by OPEC+ and a drop in U.S. oil inventories against fears about the global economic outlook. Brent crude fell 33 cents, or 0.4%, to $84.68 a barrel by 12:48 p.m. ET. For a full report, click on - - - -
PALM OIL
Malaysian palm oil futures reversed early gains on Thursday to end lower for a second consecutive day after an industry group forecast a rise in March production. The benchmark palm oil contract for June delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange closed down 44 ringgit, or 1.14%, to 3,824 ringgit ($869.68) a tonne, after rising 1.2% earlier in the day. For a full report, click on - - - -
RUBBER
Japanese rubber futures slid on Thursday as recession fears and dipping oil prices
weighed but the market remains in limbo, watching financial regulators' next moves
closely.
Osaka Exchange's rubber contract for September delivery , finished
4.5 yen, or 2.1%, lower at 209.8 yen ($1.60) per kg, reversing gains in the previous
session.
For a full report, click on - - - -
(Bengaluru Bureau; +91 80 6749 1130)
