Friday 18 May 2012

ASIAN STOCK

Asian shares tumbled on Friday and were set for their worst weekly showing since September, amid signs of growing instability among Spanish banks and political turmoil in Greece, with investors adding the latest weak U.S. data to the list of risk factors.
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U.S.STOCK

U.S. stocks hit a four-month low on Thursday, as rising Spanish bond yields increased investor anxiety over that country’s banks and another round of weak data undermined hopes for U.S. economic recovery.
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S&P

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was down 19.92 points, or 1.50 percent, at 1,304.88.
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U.S.TREASURY

Benchmark 10-year Treasury notes US10YT=RR last traded up 17/32 at 100-15/32 in price for a yield of 1.70 percent, down 6 basis points from Wednesday.
The 30-year, or long, bond US30YT=RR was 2 points higher at 104-1/32, yielding 2.80 percent, down almost 10 basis points on the day.
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FTSE

The FTSE 100 index was down 66.87 points, or 1.2 percent at 5,338.38, its lowest close since November 2011 and having hit an intra-day low of 5,309.75.
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NIKKEI

The Nikkei dropped 2.4 percent to 8,652.04, having dropped through support at 8,800. The broader Topix followed suit with a 2.5 percent fall to 728.81.
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YEN

The yen, favored as a safer asset, eased from its highs on Friday against the euro and the dollar.
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DOLLAR

The dollar went back under 80 yen, sending exporters tumbling.
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EURO

The euro may put pressure on other ailing European economies weighed on the currency, which last fetched $1.2690, down 0.1 percent on the day. It has already shed 4.1 percent in May, zeroing in on its 2012 low of 1.2624.
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BRENT CRUDE

The Brent contract struck a session low of $106.98, also the lowest intraday price since Dec. 30. From the beginning of May, front-month Brent has fallen $11.67, or nearly 10 percent.
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U.S.CRUDE

U.S. crude settled at $92.56, down 25 cents, the lowest close for front-month crude since Nov. 2. From the beginning of the month, front-month crude has skidded nearly 12 percent.
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NYMEX CRUDE

NYMEX crude for June edged up 10 cents to $92.66 a barrel, after falling 25 cents the previous session. Thursday’s close was the lowest settlement since November.
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OIL

Oil and equities also were pressured by data showing U.S. initial jobless benefits last week held at levels suggesting sluggish growth in hiring and by a separate report showing factory activity in the Mid-Atlantic region contracted in May.
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PLATINUM

Platinum was up 1.74 percent at $1,450 an ounce, while palladium rose 2.31 percent to $600.50 an ounce.
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SILVER

Silver bounced by over 4 percent to an intraday high of $28.32, its largest one-day rise since February. It had fallen for eight days in a row, its longest losing streak since a 10-day decline that began in late August 2008. By late afternoon in New York, it was up 3.25 percent at $28.02.
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SHANGHAI COPPER

The most-active August copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell 0.9 percent to 55,220 yuan ($8,700) a tonne, after rising 1.9 percent on Thursday – much more than London futures did on the same day.
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LME COPPER

Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange had inched up 0.1 percent to $7,656.75 a tonne by 0138 GMT, after closing almost flat in the prior session.
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COPPER

Copper prices steadied on Thursday after sliding for four straight days and touching four-month lows, but traders remained wary about the metal’s prospects amid fears of more fall out from Europe should Greece exit the euro.
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U.S.GOLD

U.S. crude prices hovered above $92 a barrel on Friday, supported by the planned start of a U.S. pipeline that will help ease a Midwest oil glut.
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SPOT GOLD

Spot gold ticked up 0.2 percent to $1,575.91 an ounce on Friday, after rallying more than 2 percent for its largest one-day gain in more than three months in the previous session, with sluggish U.S. data fuelling hopes for more monetary easing.
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GOLD

Gold rallied more than 2 percent on Thursday, biggest one-day rise since January, supported by a decline in regional U.S. factory activity that fueled hopes for more monetary stimulus.
Gold added $1.04 an ounce to $1,574.29 by 0036 GMT, off a 4-1/2-month low at $1,527 struck on Wednesday.
Gold raced to a record of around $1,920 last September on fears the euro zone debt crisis could spiral out of control, but this year, the metal is moving in tandem with assets that are perceived to be risky.
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U.S. MARKET UPDATE

U.S. stocks hit a four-month low on Thursday, as rising Spanish bond yields increased investor anxiety over that country’s banks and another round of weak data undermined hopes for U.S. economic recovery.
Based on the latest available data, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 157.65 points, or 1.25 percent, to end at 12,440.90. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was down 19.92 points, or 1.50 percent, at 1,304.88. The Nasdaq Composite Index  was down 60.35 points, or 2.10 percent, at 2,813.69.
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Commodity Market Outlook :18-05-2012

Gold off 4-1/2 month low on increased physical buying
Silver up after eight-day fall
Copper rebounds from 4-mth lows
Oil falls on euro zone worries, weak economic data
Oil futures fell as U.S. stock prices edged lower
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Thursday 17 May 2012

ASIAN STOCK

Asian shares steadied on Thursday from the previous day’s sell-off, but investors found no reason to bet on risk amid deepening turmoil in Greece and fears of contagion to other stressed euro zone economies.
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U.S.STOCK

U.S. stocks ended lower in a choppy session on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 logging its fourth straight decline as investors worried about Greece’s future as a member of the euro zone.
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S&P

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was down 5.83 points, or 0.44 percent, at 1,324.83.
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U.S.TREASURY

U.S. Treasuries prices were steady to higher in another choppy session on Wednesday as news that the European Central Bank cut off funds to cash-strapped Greek banks and bond-friendly minutes from the Federal Reserve’s April meeting supported bids for low-risk government bonds.
In the cash market, the benchmark 10-year Treasury note  last traded up 2/32 at 99-28/32 in price with a yield of 1.76 percent, down nearly 1 basis point on the day.
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FTSE

The FTSE 100 fell by 32.37 points, or 0.6 percent, to 5,405.25 points – above a 5,400 point resistance level but still ending at its lowest close since Dec. 21, when the market finished at 5,389.74 points.
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NIKKEI

The Nikkei was flat at 8,804.80 in midmorning trade after moving in and out of positive territory. The index is still down 1.8 percent this week, on track for its seventh straight weekly loss, which would mark its worst run since 2001.
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DOLLAR

The dollar index measured against key currencies remained near a four-month high reached on Wednesday, as investors favoured safe havens.
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