Thursday 31 October 2013

ASIAN STOCKS

Asian markets suffered a glancing blow on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve's latest policy outlook was deemed less dovish than some had wagered on, lifting both bond yields and the dollar.

U.S.TREASURIES

U.S. Treasuries prices traded down on Wednesday as Federal Reserve policymakers said downside risks to the economy had lessened, a more hawkish observation than markets had expected.

U.S.STOCKS

U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 snapping a four-day streak of gains after the Federal Reserve said it had a weaker growth outlook for the economy, even as it held steady with its stimulus program for the time being.

DOLLAR

The dollar hovered near a two-week high against a basket of major currencies on Thursday, after extending gains when the Federal Reserve mollified jumpy markets and kept its massive bond-buying stimulus in place

NIKKEI

Japan's Nikkei share average pulled back from a one-week high on Thursday morning on earnings concerns, with blue-chips Toshiba Corp and Honda Motor Co Ltd  coming under pressure after reporting quarterly results.

NYMEX CRUDE

NYMEX crude for December delivery was down 13 cents at $96.64 a barrel by 0112 GMT, after settling $1.43 lower on Wednesday.

BRENT CRUDE

Brent crude for December delivery was off 17 cents at $109.69 a barrel by 0241 GMT. The crude benchmark is up 1.2 percent in October.

U.S.CRUDE

U.S. crude's losses have widened its discount to Brent CL-LCO1=R to around $13, near six-month highs reached last week.

U.S.OIL

U.S. oil futures extended their move lower for a second consecutive day on Wednesday after government data showed large inventory builds, further widening the domestic oil's discount to international benchmark Brent.

LME COPPER

Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange  slipped by 0.5 percent to $7,255 a tonne by 0137 GMT, paring gains from the previous session when it climbed 1.2 percent.

COPPER

London copper fell on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve's latest outlook was seen as less dovish than some had expected, while fragile global growth and improving supply put the metal on track for its first monthly loss in four.

PLATINUM

Platinum rose 0.6 percent to $1,468.24 an ounce,

SILVER

Silver outperformed gold, ending up 0.5 percent at$22.63 an ounce, having hit a one-month high of $23.06 earlier on Wednesday.

SPOT GOLD

Spot gold was down 0.2 percent at $1,339.55 an ounce by 0239 GMT, after falling as much as 0.5 percent. 

GOLD

Gold slipped on Thursday despite the U.S. Federal Reserve vowing to support the economy through stimulus measures, with investors taking profits from a recent run-up in prices.

U.S.MARKET UPDATE

U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 snapping a four-day streak of gains after the Federal Reserve said it had a weaker growth outlook for the economy, even as it held steady with its stimulus program for the time being.


Trading was volatile following the release of the statement, with the major U.S. stock indexes cutting losses to turn flat and dropping to session lows. Almost 70 percent of stocks on both the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq declined, while all 10 S&P 500 sector indexes fell.

Wednesday 30 October 2013

ASIAN STOCKS

Asian share markets took heart from record highs in U.S. stocks on Wednesday as investors wagered the Federal Reserve would rock no boats at its policy meeting and leave stimulus in place for the next few months at least.

U.S.STOCKS

U.S. stocks closed at historic highs on hopes that the Fed will maintain its stimulus, while the dollar traded at one-week highs against a basket of major currencies early in Asia on Wednesday.

U.S.TREASURIES

Prices for U.S. Treasuries were mixed on Tuesday though little changed as mixed data underscored uncertain prospects for the economy, with yields close to a three-month low as investors sought direction.

NIKKEI

Japan's Nikkei led the way with a gain of 1.2 percent, while Australian shares added 0.4 percent and Shanghai 0.5 percent. MSCI's index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan crept up 0.3 percent.

FTSE

BP was the top-performer on the blue-chip FTSE 100 index .FTSE, surging 5.6 percent after the company announced forecast-beating profits, a dividend hike and plans to sell assets.

DOLLAR

The dollar traded at one-week highs against a basket of major currencies early in Asia on Wednesday as investors further trimmed bearish positions ahead of the outcome of the Federal Reserve policy meeting.