New Zealand/Australia Morning Call-Global markets

----------------------(07:07 / 1807 GMT)-----------------------Stock Markets S&P/ASX 200 5,430.85 +15.33 NZSX 50 4,868.08 +15.49DJIA 15,686.84 +6.49 Nikkei 14,502.35 +176.37NASDAQ 3,945.83 -6.51 FTSE 6,777.70 +2.97S&P 500 1,770.13 -1.82 Hang Seng 23,304.02 +457.48SPI 200 Fut 5,413.00 -6.00 TRJCRB Index 280.07 -0.57Bonds AU 10 YR Bond 3.971 +0.002 US 10 YR Bond 2.507 +0.000NZ 10 YR Bond 4.500 -0.005 US 30 YR Bond 3.623 +0.002Currencies (Prev at 7pm NZST) AUD US$ 0.9482 0.9494 NZD US$ 0.8235 0.8263EUR US$ 1.3748 1.3743 Yen US$ 98.33 98.18Commodities Gold (Lon) 1354.75 Silver (Lon) 22.740 Gold (NY) 1343.69 Light Crude 96.79 --------------------------------------------------------------- Overnight market action with latest New York figures. EQUITIES NEW YORK - U.S. stocks edged lower on Wednesday, following astring of four sessions of gains and before the release of theFederal Reserve's statement on the economy and its ultra-loosemoney policy. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 21.33 points or0.14 percent, to 15,659.02, the S&P 500 lost 3.92 pointsor 0.22 percent, to 1,768.03 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 10.971 points or 0.28 percent, to 3,941.367. For a full report, double click on - - - - LONDON - Britain's top shares edged to a new five-month highon Wednesday, boosted by good earnings from the likes of Next but suffering in later trade from profit taking ahead ofa U.S. Federal Reserve policy decision. The FTSE 100 closed up 2.97 points, flat inpercentage terms, at 6,777.70 points, eking out its fifthsuccessive day of gains and hitting its highest levels sinceMay. For a full report, double click on - - - - TOKYO - Japanese shares climbed to a one-week high onWednesday on expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve willmaintain its ultra-easy money policy for at least the next fewmonths. The benchmark Nikkei rose 1.2 percent to 14,502.35,the highest closing level since Oct. 22. The broader Topix added 0.9 percent to 1,204.50, with trading volumehitting a 5-1/2-week high of 3.11 billion shares. For a full report, double click on - - - - FOREIGN EXCHANGE NEW YORK - The U.S. dollar erased its losses against theeuro and rose against the yen on Wednesday after the FederalReserve said it will keep buying $85 billion in bonds per monthto support the economy, a decision that was widely expected. The euro fell to a session low of $1.3726, accordingto Reuters data, compared with $1.3774 before the Fed statement. For a full report, double click on - - - - TREASURIES NEW YORK - U.S. Treasury debt prices pared gains to tradelower after the Federal Reserve concluded a two-day meeting witha statement that some analysts said was more hawkish thanexpected. Prices for U.S. benchmark 10-year Treasury notes trimmed gains to trade 2/32 lower, yielding 2.514 percent. The30-year bond, which had been trading higher beforethe Fed statement, dropped 7/32 in price to yield 3.633 percent. For a full report, double click on - - - - COMMODITIES GOLD LONDON - Gold gained around one percent on Wednesday afterweak U.S. jobs data supported the view that the Federal Reservewould signal plans later in the day to keep its stimulus intactfor months. Spot gold rose as much as 1.2 percent to a sessionhigh of $1,359.16 an ounce earlier and was up 0.8 percent at$1,353.76 by 1505 GMT. For a full report, double click on - - - - BASE METALS LONDON - Copper rose to its highest level in a week onWednesday, boosted by expectations the U.S. Federal Reserve willprolong its stimulus programme to aid recovery in the world'slargest economy. Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange ended up more than 1 percent at $7,298 a tonne, from a close of $7,200on Tuesday, but off a peak of $7,299.50 a tonne hit earlier, itshighest since Oct. 23. For a full report, double click on - - - - OIL NEW YORK - U.S. oil futures extended their move lower for asecond consecutive day on Wednesday after government data showedlarge inventory builds, further pressuring the domestic oil'sdiscount to international benchmark Brent. Brent crude for December delivery was trading up 32cents at $109.33 a barrel by 1714 GMT, after falling 60 cents onTuesday. It touched an intraday high of $109.65 on Wednesday. U.S. crude was $1.08 per barrel lower at $97.12,having hit an intraday low of $96.86. For a full report, double click on - - - -