Thomson Financial Europe AM at a glance share guide: Stocks, oil mixed

Index Change Percent change
*DJIA 12825.02 -24.34 -0.19
*Nasdaq 2408.04 +5.07 +0.21
*S&P 500 1388.17 -2.16 -0.16
Nymex crude
for May $117.48 +$0.79
10 yr US
treasury 3.73 percent
* Monday's close
STOCKS: Wall Street had a mixed performance Monday as investors regained a cautious stance after disappointing news from Bank of America Corp., which said its first-quarter earnings fell 77 percent on write-downs and widening credit losses, and Midwest bank National City Corp., and after oil prices hit fresh highs.
Shares of National City dropped after the Midwest bank said it got a $7 billion cash infusion from equity investors, lowered its dividend and posted a $171 million loss for the first quarter.
BONDS: Bond prices dipped as investors speculated that the Federal Reserve would follow the Bank of England's lead in using means beyond cutting interest rates to ease tightness in the credit markets.
FOREX: The dollar was mixed Monday against other major currencies and slid near a new low against the euro after Bank of America's worse-than-expected first-quarter earnings. The 15-nation currency rose as high as $1.5946 and fetched $1.5916 in late New York trading, up from $1.5805 Friday and not far off its all-time high of $1.5982.
The pound fell after the Bank of England, in a bid to address fallout from the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis, announced a 50 billion-pound plan to allow banks to swap mortgage-backed securities for Treasury bills. The pound fell to $1.9798 against $1.9940 late Friday.
The dollar slipped to 1.0072 Swiss francs from 1.0182 Swiss francs but was unchanged at 104.17 yen.
OIL: Crude oil set a record for the sixth day in a row -- this time closing above $117 a barrel -- after an attack on a Japanese oil tanker in the Middle East rattled investors.
METALS: Gold futures rebounded from Friday's sharp decline after the dollar weakened against the euro, enhancing the metal's appeal as a hedge against inflation.
Gold for June delivery rose $2.40 to $917.60 an ounce on the Nymex, after earlier rising as high as $931.90.
EVENTS:
April Richmond Fed Survey
Yahoo Inc. Q1 results. EPS forecast $0.11 versus $0.10
ASIA SUMMARY: Stocks fall; oil steady near record highs
Index Change Percent change
Nikkei 225 13570.29 -126.26 -0.92 (0418 GMT)
S&P/ASX 200 5551.20 -49.10 -0.88 (0419 GMT)
Straits Times 3151.58 -19.51 -0.60 (0219 GMT)
Hang Seng 24492.21 -229.46 -0.93 (0419 GMT)
Seoul Composite 1788.77 -11.71 -0.65 (0420 GMT)
BSE Sensex 16597.53 -141.80 -0.85 (0425 GMT)
usd-yen 103.22 -0.03 -0.03 (Intra-day)
10-year JGBs 1.46 percent +0.015 +1.04 (Intra-day)
Brent North Sea $114.50 +0.07 +0.06 (Intra-day)
crude for June
STOCKS: Asian stocks fell Tuesday, led by financials and technology companies as investors weighed disappointing earnings from Bank of America and Texas Instruments and a fresh spike in crude prices to a record close to $118 a barrel.
BONDS: Japanese government bond prices were flat to slightly lower this morning as investors took a breather from the recent unwinding of flight-to-quality purchases amid a lack of strong leads, with U.S. stocks closing mixed.
FOREX: The U.S. dollar was softer against other major currencies in Sydney morning trade after slipping overnight on concerns about the health of the U.S. financial sector.
OIL: World oil prices were steady in Asian trading on Tuesday after once again crashing through record highs and as producers warned sky-high values are here to stay.
New York's main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in May, fell 5 cents to $117.43 per barrel. The benchmark contract had struck a new peak in intraday trading of $117.76 before closing at a record $117.48 on Monday at the Nymex.
METALS: Gold stayed firm in early afternoon trade Monday, while other precious metals edged lower. Copper drifted lower, in line with most other base metals, with only tin bucking the trend to stay firm.
EVENTS:
Japan 20-year government bonds auction
Energy Resources of Australia annual general meeting
Singapore's CapitaMall Q1 results
Malaysia mid-April forex reserves
British American Tobacco Malaysia Bhd. Q1 results
Hong Kong March CPI
Hong Kong-listed Beijing Media FY results
China Shipping Development Q1 results
Hong Kong-listed Lingbao Gold FY results
Hong Kong-listed Sinoma FY results
Changsha Zoomlion Heavy Industry FY results
China's Wuhan Iron & Steel FY results
China's Youngor Group FY results
China's Pingdingshan Tianan Coal Mining FY results
Taiwan March unemployment
India's Ranbaxy Laboratories Q1 results
India's Biocon Q4 results
EUROPE SUMMARY: Stocks close lower; oil slips
Index Change Percent change
*FTSE 6052.97 -3.58 -0.06
*DAX 6786.55 -56.53 -0.83
*CAC 4910.35 -51.34 -1.03
pound-dollar 1.9838 -0.0128 (Intra-day)
euro-dollar 1.5920 +0.0174 (Intra-day)
Brent
crude(June) 113.57 -35 cents (1514 GMT)
* Monday's close
STOCKS: Europe's leading shares ended lower Monday, tracking weakness on Wall Street, with banks in focus after Bank of America numbers disappointed and amid U.K. cash calls moves, while investors also digested a big batch of earnings news.
Banking issues were a feature once again after the Bank of America earnings disappointment in the afternoon and after a muted response to news from the Bank of England of a 50 billion pounds bailout plan for lenders.
Meanwhile, French advertising group Havas is expected to unveil first quarter organic sales growth before the market opens on Tuesday, while Banco BPI S.A.'s first quarter net profit is expected to fall, mainly due to weak domestic operations and a decrease in trading income.
FOREX: The Bank of England's latest move to help ease the strains faced by the banking sector met with a lukewarm response on currency markets, with the pound continuing under pressure.
BONDS: European government bonds were higher, continuing to benefit from a decline in risk appetite after Wall Street opened lower on Monday.
In the U.K., gilts were outperforming their European counterparts, as doubts were raised on the effectiveness of the Bank of England's plans to allow UK banks to swap mortgage-backed assets for government bonds in an attempt to restore confidence in the banking system.
OIL: Oil on Monday eased slightly from record levels reached in the morning on profit taking and as some energy experts said oil supply was comfortable.
Prices remained well underpinned, however, by supply disruptions in Nigeria and Scotland, dollar weakness and OPEC's refusal to provide the world with more oil amid record prices.
Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and oil experts kicked off an energy conference in Rome over the weekend, from which mixed signals over the future supply/demand picture have emerged.
METALS: Gold stayed firm in early afternoon trade Monday as the softening dollar and stronger oil continued to lend support, but gains were capped by risk aversion after Friday's price slide.
At 1334 GMT, spot gold was trading at $920.28 an ounce against $912.30 in late New York trade on Friday. Platinum was trading at $2,024 an ounce against $2,042 in late trade on Friday, while silver eased to $17.64 an ounce against $17.82, and palladium slipped to $448 an ounce from $456.
Copper drifted lower, in line with most other base metals, in directionless trade midafternoon, with only tin bucking the trend to stay firm after rallying to a new record high this morning amid fears of a supply shortfall this year.
Copper prices remain underpinned by the prospect of a supply shortfall as inventories dwindle and a strike at major Chilean producer Codelco goes through a sixth day.
EVENTS:
UNITED KINGDOM
BoE's Besley speech in London
Associated British Foods H1 results
Connaught H1 results
Game Group FY results
Bradford & Bingley AGM/trading statement
Moneysupermarket.com Group AGM
LogicaCMG (conclusions of business review undertaken under new CEO Andy Green)
AUSTRIA
Verbund Q1 results
BENELUX
Akzo Nobel AGM
Wolters Kluwer AGM
ING AGM
Macintosh Retail Group AGM
Vopak Q1 trading statement
LogicaCMG business review presentation
Exmar FY annual report published
Euronav Q1 results (after market closes)
EASTERN EUROPE
Polish March core inflation data
Polish March unemployment data
Sistema's Sitronics EGM
EUROPEAN UNION/EURO ZONE
ECB main refi result (0915 GMT)
ECB-European Commission conference "The safety and efficiency of post-trading arrangements in Europe" (day 2 of 2); speakers include Peter Praet of
National Bank of Belgium
EU's Kroes speech at European Consumer Organisation dinner, Strasbourg
FRANCE
Axa AGM
Havas Q1 sales
Saint-Gobain Q1 sales (after market close)
Nexans Q1 results
Haulotte Q1 sales, AGM
Gecina AGM
CNP Assurances AGM
L'Oreal AGM
GERMANY
Puma AGM
EADS CEO Gallois to speak at German Foreign Policy Society
Buba's Remsperger to speak at Wiesbaden conference "Foreign Trade in Times of Globalisation - Possibilities and Limits of Statistical Measuring"
GREECE
Greek 3-year bond auction
ITALY
March non-EU trade
Bank of Italy quarterly report
Sogefi Q1
PORTUGAL
Banco BPI Q1 results; press conference in Porto
Anacom seminar with chairman Amado da Silva
SCANDINAVIA
Finnish March labour force survey
FOEX Pulp & Paper price statistics
Alfa Laval Q1 results
Svenska Handelsbanken Q1 results
MTG Q1 results
Kone Q1 results
Kesko Q1 results
Kone Q2 results
Norsk Hydro Q1 results
Renewable Energy Corp. Q1 results. EBITDA forecast 711 million crowns versus 869 million; sales 1.717 billion crowns versus 1.616 billion
Subsea 7 Q1 results
Autoliv Q1 results
Sydbank Q1 report
SPAIN
Telefonica AGM
Acerinox S.A. Q1 results
SWITZERLAND
March sales surplus
March watch exports
Logitech FY results
Actelion Q1 results
Syngenta Q1 sales