LONDON (Thomson Financial) - US SUMMARY: Stocks end flat on
weaker-than-expected retail sales, oil jumps
Index Change Pct change
*DJIA 13,551.69 +2.36 +0.02
*Nasdaq 2,724.41 +10.91 +0.40
*S&P 500 1,497.66 +1.21 +0.08
Nymex crude
for Feb 95.97 usd +1.84 usd
10 yr US
treasury 4.29 pct
* Yesterday's close
STOCKS: Stocks finished largely flat Wednesday as investors returned from
the Christmas holiday to news of weaker-than-expected retail sales. A jump in
oil prices also concerned Wall Street.
The International Council of Shopping Centers said its index of retail chain
store sales rose 2.8 pct last week, rounding out a sluggish December performance
that puts merchants on track for a smaller sales gain than the trade group
originally expected.
Target Corp indicated its sales may have fallen in December, while
MasterCard Inc said holiday spending - including credit, cash and checks -
climbed a modest 3.6 pct between Thanksgiving and Christmas, weighed by a
slowdown in sales of women's apparel compared with a rise of 6.6 pct last year.
FOREX: The dollar was mixed against major currencies.
BONDS: Bond prices fell Wednesday. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note,
which moves opposite its price, rose to 4.29 pct from 4.21 pct late Monday as a
surge in commodity prices helped provide some upward pressure.
OIL: Prices jumped Wednesday on supply concerns, stoked by a new round of
Turkish airstrikes in northern Iraq. Light, sweet crude for February delivery
rose 1.84 usd to settle at 95.97 usd a barrel Wednesday on the New York
Mercantile Exchange.
The new attacks came as oil investors awaited inventory data from the Energy
Department's Energy Information Administration. It is expected to show crude
supplies fell by 1.3 mln barrels last week, the sixth straight weekly decline.
METALS: Gold prices rose as the dollar retreated. An ounce of gold for
February climbed 13 usd to close at 829.50 usd on the Nymex. Silver futures rose
17.5 cents to settle at 14.835 usd an ounce.
ASIA SUMMARY: Shares slightly higher, dollar mixed
Index Change Pct change
Nikkei 225 15585.58 -67.96 -0.43 (0420 GMT)
S&P/ASX 200 6359.10 +35.50 +0.55 (0420 GMT)
Straits Times 3485.13 +11.92 +0.34 (0420 GMT)
Hang Seng 28089.60 -39.20 -0.14 (0420 GMT)
Seoul Composite 1909.33 +2.61 +0.14 (0420 GMT)
BSE Sensex 20255.09 +62.57 +0.31 (0430 GMT)
usd-yen 114.26 -0.07 (2245 GMT)
10-year JGBs 1.565 +0.01 (Intra-day trade)
STOCKS: Asian stocks drifted Thursday with Hong Kong, Australia and South
Korea managing small gains as fund managers adjusted portfolios for year-end,
while Japan and Singapore came under pressure as the latest batch of data from
the US revived economic concerns.
BONDS: Japanese government bond prices ended Thursday morning mostly lower,
reflecting a weak US Treasury market overnight, although year-end bond purchases
and declines in share prices helped limit the bond market's downside.
FOREX: The US dollar was mixed against major currencies midway through the
session in Sydney on Thursday after falling against the euro and sterling
overnight in response to weaker than expected housing and retail data.
METALS: Gold prices rose in subdued trading, thinned by Christmas holidays,
having gained around 3 pct last week, and the metal is expected to remain in a
tight range.
EVENTS:
Japan Nov auto production
Japan Nov housing starts
Japan Nov construction order
Indonesia's Medco EGM
Xinye Copper shares begin trading in Hong Kong
Taiwan Nov leading indicators
EUROPE SUMMARY: London shares close higher on Christmas eve; oil down
Index Change Pct change
*FTSE 6479.32 +45.24 +0.70
*DAX 8002.67 0.00 0.00
*CAC 5614.28 +11.51 +0.20
UK 10-year
Bond 95.51 0.00 (unchanged)
UK 30-year
Bond 96.93 -0.95
Forex
stg-usd 1.9803 -0.0017 (Intra-day)
eur-usd 1.4407 +0.0041 (Intra-day)
Brent Crude
ICE (Jan) 92.21 usd -25 cents (1200 GMT)
*Monday's close
STOCKS: UK blue-chips closed higher Monday, with miners and housebuilders
providing some pre-Christmas cheer in an otherwise quiet day's trading.
Mining issues provided fuel as hopes for sector consolidation in 2008
remained high, particularly after Friday's announcement from the Takeover Panel
that BHP Billiton must make their proposed bid for Rio Tinto by Feb 6.
Housebuilders went into Christmas on a high, with Taylor Wimpey taking on
5.0 pence at 206.0 as investors welcomed reports that Britain's biggest
housebuilder has halted the acquisition of development land amid growing fears
about the health of the housing market.
FOREX: The euro extended gains against the pound, hitting new record highs
as the UK currency continued to suffer from a string of recent poor data, while
edging up against the dollar in very thin holiday trade.
The pound has come under heavy pressure recently as a run of weak data and
last week's dovish Monetary Policy Committee minutes increase fears over the
outlook for the UK economy as well as the chances that UK interest rates will
fall further and faster than previously thought.
OIL: Prices fell in very thin trading because a brief rally late last week
was considered overdone, and on forecasts for a
warmer winter in key consuming countries.
Trading conditions are expected to remain subdued all week, with many
traders away from their desks amid Christmas holiday celebrations.
METALS: Gold prices rose in subdued trading, thinned by Christmas holidays.
At 1216 GMT, spot gold was trading at 811.90 usd per ounce against 811.80 usd in
late New York trades Friday.
Platinum was lower at 1,521 from 1,522 an ounce Friday, having hit a day
high of 1,529.50 usd earlier.
Elsewhere, palladium dipped to 352 usd from 354 usd per ounce, while silver
eased to 14.34 usd from 14.35 usd.
EVENTS:
UNITED KINGDOM
AGMs
Gold Frost
Network Technology
EGMs
Supporta
ECONOMICS
UK Sept mortgage equity withdrawal
UK BBA Nov mortgage lending, approvals
BENELUX
Last trading day in Numico shares
EUROPEAN UNION/EURO AREA
EU Commission closed
GERMANY
German states Saxony, Baden-Wurttemberg Dec CPIs
German HDE retailers' association to publish update on Christmas shopping
season
GREECE
Oct merchandise trade
TFN.newsdesk@thomson.com
ndi/npr/ypv/man
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