* Graphic: 2020 asset performance http://tmsnrt.rs/2yaDPgn
* Graphic: World FX rates in 2020 http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
* Reuters Live Markets blog on European and UK stock
markets:
By Herbert Lash
NEW YORK, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Gold surged to a record high on
Tuesday after Democrats and the White House appeared closer to
agreement on new stimulus to help the coronavirus-hit economy
and a broad swath of Wall Street edged up as investors awaited
more aid from Washington.
Oil prices also rose on the prospect of a new package but
Treasury yields slid to their lowest since March on safe-haven
demand and concerns about the ultimate cost of a stimulus bill.
Gold surged to the psychologically important level of $2,000
an ounce after the U.S. Senate's top Democrat said a new round
of coronavirus relief was moving in the right direction, though
the two sides remain far apart.
Spot gold prices rose $18.5543, or 0.94%, to
$1,995.25 an ounce. Earlier, spot gold was bid at $2,000.11 an
ounce.
Bullion has soared more than 30% so far this year, supported
by lower interest rates and safe-haven buying on concerns
Federal Reserve policy and government stimulus are debasing the
currency.
The bond market, which is at loggerheads with the equity
markets over stimulus and its role in the economy, is skeptical
about the prospects of a rebound in economic growth in the third
quarter.
"There is a concern about how much the stimulus package will
help the economy, and its cost over time," said Kevin Giddis,
chief fixed income strategist at Raymond James.
The 10-year U.S. Treasury notes slid 3.8 basis
points to yield 0.5249% after earlier trading as low as 0.513%.
MSCI's benchmark for global equity markets
rose 0.47% after earlier hitting a five-month high, less than 4%
from its all-time peak in February. The index was lifted
overnight when stocks rallied in Asia on relatively strong
manufacturing data from around the world reported on Monday.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose
0.36%, the S&P 500 gained 0.09% and the Nasdaq Composite
dropped 0.09%.
Wall Street shrugged off new upbeat data after a report
showed new orders for U.S.-made goods increased more than
expected in June, suggesting the manufacturing sector was
beginning to claw its way out of the pandemic's deep pit.
The Commerce Department said factory orders rose 6.2%,
boosted by a surge in demand for motor vehicles. Despite the
second straight monthly gain, orders remained well below their
level in February before lockdowns sapped demand.
Shares in Europe slid. The broad pan-regional FTSEurofirst
300 index closed down 0.10% at 1,412.42 after a strong
rally on manufacturing data on Monday.
Disappointing results from Diageo Plc, the world's
largest spirits maker, and German drugs and pesticides group
Bayer, took the shine off growth-linked cyclical
stocks.
BP cut its dividend for the first time in a decade
after a record $6.7 billion second-quarter loss, when the
pandemic hammered fuel demand. Its shares rose 6.5% after BP
unveiled a plan to reduce its oil and gas output by 40% and
boost investments in renewable energy.
Oil prices edged higher, with Brent on track for a
five-month high, on hopes for more stimulus and signs America
may be making progress on controlling the coronavirus spread.
Brent crude futures rose $0.29 to $44.44 a barrel.
U.S. crude futures gained $0.59 to $41.6 a barrel.
(Reporting by Herbert Lash, additional reporting by Kate Duguid
and Sumita Layek in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Diageo (DGE)
BP (BP.)
