EQUITIESNEW YORK- U.S. stocks scored modest gains on Tuesday asinvestors exercised restraint from making big bets in a shortsession ahead of the Christmas holiday, with the Dow and S&P 500once again ending at record highs.
Markets closed early on Tuesday and will remain shut untilThursday for the holiday. Trading was extremely light during theday's abbreviated session, which ended at 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT).
LONDON - Britain's top share index rose for a fifth session onTuesday, posting its third-sharpest Christmas rally since itslaunch in 1984, helped by a surge in broadcaster BSkyB.
Shares in BSkyB rose 2.5 percent, taking their gains so farthis week to 4.9 percent, as a Daily Mail report revivedspeculation about a bid from Vodafone, aimed at bundlingthe groups' broadband, TV and landline offers.
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TOKYO - Tokyo's Nikkei share average climbed 0.9 percent to amore than six-year high on Thursday, with buying mostly byretail investors as tax-free investment accounts aimed atdriving Japanese savings into stocks kicked off.For full report, double click on ----
HONG KONG - Financial markets in Hong Kong are closed onThursday for the Boxing Day holiday. Markets will reopen onFriday. For full report, double click on ----
FOREIGN EXCHANGE TOKYO-The dollar hit a five-year high against the yen onThursday and held firm against other currencies on expectationsthe U.S. economy will continue a solid recovery, allowing theFederal Reserve to gradually withdraw its stimulus next year.
The dollar rose to 104.645 yen in early Asian trade,slightly above last week's high of 104.64 yen. It last stood at104.62 yen, up 0.2 percent on the day.For a full report, double click on ---- TREASURIESU.S. Treasuries prices fell on Tuesday with benchmark yieldshovering near three-month highs as investors trimmed their bondholdings ahead of a shortened session before Christmas.
The bond market closed at 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT) on Tuesday, and will be closed Wednesday as well.
Worries over when the Federal Reserve might raise short-terminterest rates after it stops buying bonds have bogged down the market, especially among medium-term issues.For a full report, double click on ----COMMODITIESGOLDGold drifted lower in thin year-end trade on Thursday as a rallyin equities and a strong economic recovery in the United Statesdented its safe-haven appeal.
Gold is headed for a near 30 percent drop this year as the U.S. Federal Reserve is set to begin unwinding its stimulus measures, ending a 12-year rally that was prompted by rock bottom interest rates and monetary stimulus by global central banks.For a full report, double click on ---- BASE METALSShanghai copper climbed to its highest level since August onWednesday, rising for a fourth straight session, as overnightgains in New York and strong U.S. data underpinned prices.
Copper futures in New York rallied more than 2 percenton Tuesday after an errant buy order placed shortly beforemidday there unleashed a burst of buying as stops weretriggered, sending prices to their highest since April.
For a full report, double click on ---- OILBrent oil settled at a near a one-month high on Tuesday in thinpre-holiday trade as traders covered short positions amid civilunrest in Africa that curbed global supply while demand forgasoline rose.
Conflict in South Sudan threatened the country's oil output,adding to supply concerns as Libya's production is off by morethan 1 million barrels per day (bpd).
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