Stock Markets Net Chng Stock Markets Net Chng S&P/ASX 200** 7,324.1 -19.8 NZX 50** 13.361
11,930.86
DJIA** 34,029.69 383.19 NIKKEI** 28,156.97 74.27
Nasdaq** 236.94 FTSE**
11,929.337 7,843.38 18.54
S&P 500** 4,145.23 53.28 Hang Seng**
20,344.48 34.62
SPI 200 Fut STI**
7,357 16.00 3,294.54 8.42
SSEC** KOSPI**
3,318.3638 -8.82 2,561.66 11.02
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Bonds Net Chng Bonds Net Chng
JP 10 YR Bond KR 10 YR Bond
0.473 0.002 3.267 0.009
AU 10 YR Bond US 10 YR Bond
3.335 0.044 3.4468 0.026
NZ 10 YR Bond US 30 YR Bond
4.078 0 3.6847 0.03
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Currencies Net Chng Net Chng
SGD US$ KRW US$
1.3223 -0.0058 1,299.59 -23.04
AUD US$ NZD US$
0.67875 0.00935 0.63 0.0079
EUR US$ Yen US$
1.1046 0.0057 132.69 -0.43
THB US$ PHP US$
33.99 -0.14 55.32 0.1
IDR US$ INR US$
14,750 -125 81.65 -0.28
MYR US$ TWD US$
4.398 -0.012 30.496 -0.009
CNY US$ HKD US$
6.868 -0.0053 7.8496 -0.0002
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Commodities Net Chng Net Chng
Spot Gold Silver (Lon)
2,040.55 25.8789 25.8169 0.3394
U.S. Gold Fut 2,054.75 29.85 Brent Crude
86.26 -1.07
Iron Ore CNY769 -19 TRJCRB Index
- -
TOCOM Rubber JPY206.6 LME Copper 9,050 79.5
0.1
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** indicates closing price
All prices as of 20:06 GMT
EQUITIES GLOBAL - Bond prices and a global stock market gauge rose on Thursday after moderating producer prices and a jump in weekly jobless claims bolstered bets that the Federal Reserve may soon pause its hiking of interest rates to tame high inflation. MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe gained 0.64%.
For a full report, click on - - - -
NEW YORK - U.S. stocks advanced on Thursday as economic data showed cooling inflation and a loosening labor market, fueling optimism that the Federal Reserve is nearing the end of its aggressive interest rate hike cycle. At 2:05 p.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 325.52 points, or 0.97%, to 33,972.02; the S&P 500 gained 49.03 points, or 1.20%, at 4,140.98; and the Nasdaq Composite added 225.84 points, or 1.89%, at 12,155.18. For a full report, click on - - - -
LONDON - European shares climbed on Thursday on a boost from luxury stocks after LVMH posted upbeat first-quarter sales, while hopes of a pause in the Federal Reserve's rate hikes after signs of cooling U.S. inflation also aided sentiment. The pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.4%, while the blue-chip index gained 0.5%, inching closer to its highest level in 22 years hit on Wednesday. For a full report, click on - - - -
TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei stock gauge climbed for a fifth straight session on optimism of a recovery in the domestic retail sector, while financial shares were weighed down by U.S. recession concerns. Japan's Nikkei share average closed 0.26% higher, erasing an early slide, to cement the longest winning streak in more than a month. The broader Topix finished 0.05% higher. For a full report, click on - - - -
SHANGHAI - China stocks fell on Thursday, dragged down by a slump in Chatbot-related companies that had surged amid speculative bets and despite data showing China's exports posted a surprise surge in March. China's blue-chip index CSI 300 closed down 0.7%, while the Hang Seng Index edged up 0.2%. For a full report, click on - - - -
AUSTRALIA - Australian shares were set to open higher on Friday as traders continued to sift through U.S. economic data to assess the health of the world's largest economy and anticipated the Federal Reserve to pause its hiking of interest rates. The local share price index futures rose 0.3%, a 21.1-point premium/discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index close. The benchmark closed 0.3% lower on Thursday. For a full report, click on - - - -
SEOUL - South Korean shares rose slightly on Thursday to extend their rally into a fifth session, recovering from early losses on robust Chinese export data and a strengthening won. The benchmark KOSPI rose 11.02 points, or 0.43%, to end at 2,561.66, bringing its accumulated gain for the five winning sessions to 4.2%. For a full report, click on - - - -
FOREIGN EXCHANGE NEW YORK - The dollar fell to a two-month low against a basket of currencies and a one-year low against the euro on Thursday after U.S. producer prices unexpectedly fell in March, boosting expectations that the Federal Reserve is near the end of its rate hiking cycle. The dollar index fell to 100.84, the lowest since Feb. 2. For a full report, click on - - - -
CHINA - China's yuan softened on Thursday as investors grew uneasy over the impact of faltering global growth on the country's exports, after comments from U.S. central bankers pointed to the risk of a "mild recession" later this year. Spot yuan opened at 6.8750 per dollar and was changing hands at 6.8733 at midday, 12 pips weaker than the previous late session close and 0.11% away from the midpoint. For a full report, click on - - - -
AUSTRALIA - The Australian dollar extended its gains on Thursday after a blockbuster jobs report added to the case for another rise in interest rates and shoved bond yields higher. The Aussie firmed 0.4% to $0.6713 , having rallied 0.6% overnight in the wake of a benign U.S. inflation report. Resistance comes in at $0.6722 and $0.6745, with support at $0.6620. For a full report, click on - - - -
SEOUL - Korean won strengthens against dollar. The won ended onshore trade up 1.17% at 1,310.4 per dollar, marking its fastest daily gain since March 23, partly on a central bank announcement of a swap deal with the pension fund. For a full report, click on - - - -
TREASURIES
NEW YORK - U.S. Treasury yields turned higher on Thursday after spending most of the session in negative territory, as investors consolidated positions that pushed yields lower over the last few days amid a surprise decline in producer prices in March and an uptick in jobless claims. In afternoon trading, U.S. two-year yields edged higher to 3.979% , while the benchmark 10-year yield rose 3.3 bps to 3.454% . For a full report, click on - - - -
LONDON - The gap between U.S. and German 10-year government bond yields was around its narrowest in two years on Thursday, reflecting expectations that euro zone interest rates will rise more sharply than U.S. rates in the short term. The 10-year Bund yield , the benchmark for the euro zone, was at 2.36%, flat on the day, moving back from a small dip after Reuters reported European Central Bank policymakers are converging on a 25 basis point interest rate hike in May, though other options remain on the table. For a full report, click on - - - -
TOKYO - Japanese government bonds were listless on Thursday, with yields initially falling in line with U.S. Treasury yields and then inching higher as investors deliberated the odds of the Bank of Japan tweaking policy this month. Benchmark 10-year JGB futures fell as far as 147.55 yen from Wednesday's high of 147.92, before settling at 147.67. For a full report, click on COMMODITIES
GOLD Gold surged on Thursday as more weak U.S. economic readings bolstered bets for a pause in interest rate hikes, with prospects of a mild recession also sending investors scurrying for the safe-haven. Spot gold was up 1.4% at $2,042.50 per ounce by 1:40 p.m. EDT (17:40 GMT), its highest since March 2022, and about $30 shy of its record high hit in 2020. U.S. gold futures settled 1.5% higher at $2,055.30. For a full report, click on - - - -
IRON ORE
Iron ore futures slumped on Thursday as pessimism over steel demand in China prevailed, even as traders monitored a strong cyclone that could disrupt shipments of the steelmaking ingredient from top supplier Australia. The most-traded September iron ore on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange ended daytime trade 3.1% lower at 769 yuan ($111.89) a tonne. For a full report, click on - - - -
BASE METALS
Copper prices hit a two-week high on Thursday, buoyed by upbeat trade data from top metals consumer China and a weaker dollar after U.S. data raised hopes the Federal Reserve would halt interest rate hikes. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) was up 1.5% at $9,050 a tonne by 1600 GMT after touching its highest since March 30. For a full report, click on - - - -
OIL
Oil prices fell a dollar a barrel on Thursday, as an OPEC report stoked summer demand worries and traders took profits after benchmarks scaled multi-month highs in the previous session. Brent crude fell $1.24, or 1.4%, to settle at $86.09 a barrel, only the second time this month that the global benchmark has finished lower. The U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) slipped $1.10, or 1.3%, to close at $82.16 a barrel. For a full report, click on - - - -
PALM OIL
Malaysian palm oil futures slid for a second straight session on Thursday, to their lowest closing price in two weeks, weighed by softer rival oils and a firmer ringgit. The benchmark palm oil contract for June delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange dropped 1.59% to 3,715 ringgit ($844.70) a tonne. The contract has lost 2.08% so far this week. For a full report, click on - - - -
RUBBER
Japanese rubber futures fell marginally on Thursday after rising for the last two sessions, as concerns of a possible U.S. recession weighed. Osaka Exchange's rubber contract for September delivery , finished 0.3 yen, or 0.2%, lower at 206.5 yen ($1.55) per kg. For a full report, click on - - - - (Bengaluru Bureau; +91 80 6749 1130)