Euro edges higher vs dollar on ECB speculation
The euro rose to a
three-week high against the U.S. dollar in volatile trade on Friday on
speculation the European Central Bank may take further action to contain
a spreading debt crisis, but a lack of details capped gains.
The
euro rose to a session high after Bloomberg reported that ECB President
Mario Draghi would meet with the head of Germany's Bundesbank, Jens
Weidmann, to discuss several measures, including bond purchases, to stem
the euro zone debt crisis. Weidmann is a member of the ECB Governing
Council.
But caution quickly returned as investors said it remained
unclear what actions the ECB might take given Germany's resistance to
ECB bond buying. Some analysts also said the currency's three-day rally
this week is overdone.
Asked about the report of Draghi's meeting
with Weidmann, a spokeswoman for the European Central Bank said it was
usual practice for Draghi to meet with Governing Council members. The
spokeswoman declined further comment.
A string of positive comments from ECB officials has lifted the euro above a two-year low of $1.2040 set earlier this week.
US STOCKS-Rally drives S&P 500 to highest close since May 3
U.S.
stocks surged on Friday, driving the S&P 500 to its highest close
since May 3 as hopes increased that the Federal Reserve and the European
Central Bank may provide further stimulus. Taken together, the
S&P 500's two-day move was its biggest since December, driven by
optimism that central banks will ride to the rescue with more aid for
the world economy. The S&P 500 rose 3.6 percent in those two days,
and the moves come before key meetings of both the Fed and the ECB next
week. The Dow ended above 13,000 for the first time since May 7.
European
Central Bank President Mario Draghi will meet with Bundesbank President
Jens Weidmann to discuss several measures, including bond purchases, to
help the euro zone, according to a Bloomberg report.
Helping the
argument for more stimulus, data showed U.S. gross domestic product
growth slowed to a 1.5 percent annual rate in the second quarter as
consumers spent at their most sluggish pace in a year. Sentiment
also got a boost on Friday after the French daily Le Monde reported that
euro-zone governments and the ECB are preparing to take action to bring
down borrowing costs for Spain and Italy.
The Dow Jones industrial
average <.DJI> climbed 187.73 points, or 1.46 percent, to
13,075.66 at the close. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX>
advanced 25.95 points, or 1.91 percent, to finish at 1,385.97. The
Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 64.84 points, or 2.24
percent, to end at 2,958.09.
Gold holds gains after GDP, posts weekly rise
Gold
rose but was off earlier highs o n Friday as investors took profits
after data showed that economic growth and consumer sentiment have
weakened but not enough to prompt the U.S. Federal Reserve to take
further stimulative action.
Bullion was up 0.5 percent for the day
and logged its biggest weekly gain in eight weeks, boosted by a pledge
from the head of European Central Bank to preserve the euro and hopes
that the Fed will explore new tools to promote growth in the U.S.
economy. After rising nearly 1 percent earlier in the session, gold
trimmed its gains after data showed U.S. GDP slowed in the second
quarter from the first quarter, and U.S. consumer sentiment in July fell
to its lowest level of the year.
Gold has gained 3 percent during
its four-day rally. Better performance of the equities market this week,
highlighted by Friday's 2 percent surge on Wall Street, also lifted
bullion. U.S. COMEX gold futures for August delivery <GCQ2> settled up $2.90 at $1,618 an ounce.
Oil Rises for Fourth Day on Stimulus Speculation
Oil
rose for a fourth day on speculation that the European Central Bank and
the U.S. Federal Reserve will ease monetary policy to boost economic
growth and curb the debt crisis. Prices gained 0.8 percent after ECB
President Mario Draghi was said to be planning to hold talks with
Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann on stimulus measures including bond
purchases. ECB and Fed policy makers are scheduled to gather separately
next week to discuss the economy. Oil for September delivery climbed
74 cents to settle at $90.13 a barrel on the New York Mercantile
Exchange. Prices have risen 16 percent since June 28 and fell 1.4
percent this week.
Nikkei set to rally on hopes of Fed, ECB stimulus
Japan's
Nikkei share average is expected to open sharply higher on Monday,
boosted by increasing expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve and the
European Central Bank may offer further stimulus. The Nikkei
<.N225> was likely to trade between 8,600 and 8,700, strategists
said, after rallying 1.5 percent to 8,566.64 on Friday to break above
its five-day moving average at 8,474.41. Nikkei futures in Chicago <0#NIY:> closed at 8,685 on Friday, up 1.5 percent from the Osaka <JNIc1> close of 8,560. The
European Central Bank is due to hold a policy meeting on Thursday, a
day after the Fed completes a two-day rate-setting meeting.
A slew
of Japanese companies, including Sony Corp <6758.T>, Honda Motor
Co Ltd <7267.T>, Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> and Komatsu Ltd
<6301.T>, are due to report their quarterly earnings this week.
U.S.
stocks surged on Friday, driving the S&P 500 <.INX> to its
highest close since May 3 on hope of more stimulus as U.S. economic
growth slowed in the second quarter. On Friday, the broader Topix
<.TOPX> index rose 1.6 percent to 726.44. Despite the rally, the
Topix was still down 1 percent last week, falling for the third week in a
row.
Seoul shares seen up on hopes for global c.banks stimulus
Seoul
shares are expected to rise on Monday on speculation that the U.S.
Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank may offer further stimulus
when their policymakers meet this week. The Korea Composite Stock
Price Index (KOSPI) <.KS11> rallied 2.62 percent to close at
1,829.16 points on Friday, breaking above its 20-day moving average.
The
Fed is scheduled to hold a two-day rate setting meeting from Wednesday,
followed by Thursday's ECB policy meeting where expectations are
running high after central bank chief Mario Draghi pledged last week to
do everything necessary to protect the euro zone.
Hong Kong shares seen higher, earnings in focus
Hong
Kong shares are set to climb on Monday, tracking strong Wall Street
gains on expectations that the Federal Reserve and the European Central
Bank will deliver new measures to underpin their fragile economies.
Earnings
will be in focus with HSBC Holdings Plc
and Hang Seng Bank posting results later in the day.
Several others, including Hutchison Whampoa and Huaneng
Power International , will follow suit later this week.
Last
Friday, the Hang Seng Index <.HSI> jumped 2 percent at 19,275,
its best day in a month and its highest level in a week. The China
Enterprises Index <.HSCE> of the top Chinese listings in Hong Kong
also rose 2 percent. They slid 1.9 and 1.8 percent last week
respectively. Elsewhere in Asia, Japan's Nikkei <.N225> was up
0.9 percent, while South Korea's KOSPI <.KS11> was up 1.1 percent
at 0039 GMT.
Source : Reuters