SYDNEY, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Australian shares are expected to
ease on Friday, as weaker copper and gold prices, and a stronger
Aussie dollar may weigh on top resources firms, while falls on
Wall Street could also be a drag.
* Stock index futures fell 17 points or 0.4 percent to 4,684, a 7.3 point discount to the underlying benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index, which gained 0.1 percent on Thursday.
* Trading is likely to be cautious ahead of Friday's U.S. nonfarm payrolls report, which could influence the U.S. Federal Reserve's plans for stimulus.
* Key mining shares will be under pressure after copper tumbled, crude oil futures slipped 2 percent and gold retreated 2.5 percent from a new record high.
* Companies that benefit from a strong Aussie dollar , such as importers of goods, could rise as the currency hit a 27-year high in overnight trade, but exporters and firms with a big portion of U.S.-based earnings such as James Hardie may come under pressure.
* Weak commodities and a firmer dollar pressured U.S. stocks as investors shunned big bets before the U.S jobs report. The Dow Jones industrial average dipped 0.2 percent, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index eased 0.2 percent while the Nasdaq Composite Index added 0.1.
* New Zealand's benchmark NZX 50 index was barely changed at 3,235.4 in early trade.
----------------------MARKET SNAPSHOT @ 2059 GMT ------------
INSTRUMENT LAST PCT CHG NET CHG S&P 500 1158.06 -0.16% -1.910 USD/JPY 82.4 -0.59% -0.490
10-YR US TSY YLD 2.3869 --
0.005 SPOT GOLD 1333.6 -0.91% -12.200 US CRUDE 81.44 -2.15% -1.790 DOW JONES 10948.58 -0.17% -19.07 ASIA ADRS 132.44 -0.20% -0.26
* Wall St sags with commodities; wary before jobs data
* Oil ends down, profit-taking before U.S. payrolls
* Gold retreats from record highs, payrolls eyed
* Copper prices sag as dollar recovers vs euro
For a digest of the day's business stories in Australian newspapers, double click on
((Australia/New Zealand bureaux; +61 2 9373 1800/+64 4 471 4234))
DIARIES & DATA: IPO diary & data Asia earnings diary U.S. earnings diary European diary Australia diary Wall Street Week Ahead Eurostocks Week Ahead ................................................................ For latest top breaking news across all markets ................................................................ TOP NEWS SUMMARIES ON OTHER SUBJECTS | U.S. Companies | European Companies | | Forex | Global Economy | | Tech.Media,Telecoms | Banking, Financials | | Politics & General | Sports | ................................................................ MAJOR STOCK MARKET REPORTS New York Weekly outlook New York Pan-Europe Weekly outlook Europe London Weekly outlook London Tokyo ................................................................ ASIA STOCK MARKETS Pan-Asia...................... Bangkok...... Karachi........ S/east Asia. Bombay....... Kuala Lumpur... Sydney/NZ... China........ Seoul.......... Taipei...... Hong Kong.... Singapore...... Tokyo........ ................................................................ Access to some items may depend on subscription level. ................................................................ UP-TO-THE-MINUTE HEADLINES Company results Economic indicators Mergers & acquisitions Interest rates LIVE PRICES & DATA World Stocks Currency rates Dow Jones/NASDAQ Nikkei FTSE 100 Debt HOW TO FIND INFORMATION YOU NEED | | | | | || | | | LIVE PRICES & DATA: World Stocks Currency rates Dow Jones/NASDAQ Nikkei FTSE 100 Debt Australian dollar LME price overview Keywords: MARKETS AUSTRALIA STOCKS (Multimedia versions of Reuters Top News are now available for: * 3000 Xtra : visit http://topnews.session.rservices.com * BridgeStation: view story .134 For more information on Top News, please visit http://topnews.reuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
* Stock index futures fell 17 points or 0.4 percent to 4,684, a 7.3 point discount to the underlying benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index, which gained 0.1 percent on Thursday.
* Trading is likely to be cautious ahead of Friday's U.S. nonfarm payrolls report, which could influence the U.S. Federal Reserve's plans for stimulus.
* Key mining shares will be under pressure after copper tumbled, crude oil futures slipped 2 percent and gold retreated 2.5 percent from a new record high.
* Companies that benefit from a strong Aussie dollar , such as importers of goods, could rise as the currency hit a 27-year high in overnight trade, but exporters and firms with a big portion of U.S.-based earnings such as James Hardie may come under pressure.
* Weak commodities and a firmer dollar pressured U.S. stocks as investors shunned big bets before the U.S jobs report. The Dow Jones industrial average dipped 0.2 percent, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index eased 0.2 percent while the Nasdaq Composite Index added 0.1.
* New Zealand's benchmark NZX 50 index was barely changed at 3,235.4 in early trade.
----------------------MARKET SNAPSHOT @ 2059 GMT ------------
INSTRUMENT LAST PCT CHG NET CHG S&P 500 1158.06 -0.16% -1.910 USD/JPY 82.4 -0.59% -0.490
10-YR US TSY YLD 2.3869 --
0.005 SPOT GOLD 1333.6 -0.91% -12.200 US CRUDE 81.44 -2.15% -1.790 DOW JONES 10948.58 -0.17% -19.07 ASIA ADRS 132.44 -0.20% -0.26
* Wall St sags with commodities; wary before jobs data
* Oil ends down, profit-taking before U.S. payrolls
* Gold retreats from record highs, payrolls eyed
* Copper prices sag as dollar recovers vs euro
For a digest of the day's business stories in Australian newspapers, double click on
((Australia/New Zealand bureaux; +61 2 9373 1800/+64 4 471 4234))
DIARIES & DATA: IPO diary & data Asia earnings diary U.S. earnings diary European diary Australia diary Wall Street Week Ahead Eurostocks Week Ahead ................................................................ For latest top breaking news across all markets ................................................................ TOP NEWS SUMMARIES ON OTHER SUBJECTS | U.S. Companies | European Companies | | Forex | Global Economy | | Tech.Media,Telecoms | Banking, Financials | | Politics & General | Sports | ................................................................ MAJOR STOCK MARKET REPORTS New York Weekly outlook New York Pan-Europe Weekly outlook Europe London Weekly outlook London Tokyo ................................................................ ASIA STOCK MARKETS Pan-Asia...................... Bangkok...... Karachi........ S/east Asia. Bombay....... Kuala Lumpur... Sydney/NZ... China........ Seoul.......... Taipei...... Hong Kong.... Singapore...... Tokyo........ ................................................................ Access to some items may depend on subscription level. ................................................................ UP-TO-THE-MINUTE HEADLINES Company results Economic indicators Mergers & acquisitions Interest rates LIVE PRICES & DATA World Stocks Currency rates Dow Jones/NASDAQ Nikkei FTSE 100 Debt HOW TO FIND INFORMATION YOU NEED | | | | | || | | | LIVE PRICES & DATA: World Stocks Currency rates Dow Jones/NASDAQ Nikkei FTSE 100 Debt Australian dollar LME price overview Keywords: MARKETS AUSTRALIA STOCKS (Multimedia versions of Reuters Top News are now available for: * 3000 Xtra : visit http://topnews.session.rservices.com * BridgeStation: view story .134 For more information on Top News, please visit http://topnews.reuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.