Jan 2 (Reuters) - Stock MarketsNet ChngStock MarketsNet ChngS&P/ASX 200** 6,065.10 -23.00NZX 50**8,398.08 -10.45DJIA24,719.22-118.29 NIKKEI**22,764.94-19.04Nasdaq6,903.389-46.771 FTSE**7,687.77 64.89S&P 500 2,673.61 -13.93Hang Seng** 29,919.1555.44SPI 200 Fut 6019.0 -27 STI** 3,402.92 3.82SSEC**3,307.1721 10.78740KOSPI** 2,467.49 30.82-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --BondsBondsJP 10 YR Bond 0.047-0.003KR 10 YR Bond 2.4670AU 10 YR Bond 2.639-0.033US 10 YR Bond 2.4054 0NZ 10 YR Bond 2.4054 0 US 30 YR Bond 2.7391 0-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --CurrenciesSGD US$ 1.3371 -0.0008 KRW US$ 1,065.99 -0.38AUD US$ 0.7825 0.0027NZD US$ 0.7088 0.0002EUR US$ 1.1995 -0.0001 Yen US$ 112.65 -0.02THB US$ 32.550 PHP US$ 49.927 -0.050IDR US$ 13,565 4 INR US$ 63.675 -0.155MYR US$ 4.044-0.021TWD US$ 29.848 0.008CNY US$ 6.5069 -0.0264 HKD US$ 7.8126 0-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Commodities Spot Gold 1,302.45 7.7 Silver (Lon)16.946 0.106U.S. Gold Fut 1,309.312.1Brent Crude 66.870.15Iron OreCNY530 12.5TRJCRB Index193.8647 0.8232TOCOM RubberJPY207 0.3 LME Copper7,247.0-42.0--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --
** indicates closing price
All prices as of 17:40 GMT
EQUITIES
GLOBAL - Markets bid 2017 goodbye on a modestly defensive note on Friday, but the year will be best remembered for leaving global investors wealthier.
A pick-up in global growth boosted corporate profits and commodities during the year, while tame inflation kept central banks from snatching away the punch bowl of easy monetary policy.
MSCI's world equity index shed 0.12 percent on Friday, leaving it short of an all-time intraday high reached earlier in the session but nonetheless enough to give the index an unparalleled record of gains each month this year.
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NEW YORK - There were no fireworks on Wall Street for the last trading day of the year, as U.S. stocks closed out their best year since 2013 on a down note, with losses in technology and financial stocks keeping equities in negative territory for the session.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 118.29 points, or 0.48 percent, on Friday to close at 24,719.22, the S&P 500 lost 13.93 points, or 0.52 percent, to 2,673.61 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 46.77 points, or 0.67 percent, to 6,903.39.
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LONDON - European stocks inched lower on Friday, the final trading day of 2017, scoring their strongest year of gains since 2013 thanks to a surge among tech stocks and a robust resources sector.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 0.1 percent in thin volumes on the day, while euro zone blue chips dipped 0.5 percent.
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TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei share average erased early modest gains and ended slightly lower on its final trading day of the year on Friday, but the index still gained nearly 20 percent in 2017.
The Nikkei ended the day down 0.08 percent at 22,764.94 points, while the broader Topix was also down 0.08 percent at 1,817.56.
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SHANGHAI - China stocks ended higher on Friday, capping a strong year of gains as domestic and global investors increased their exposure to mainland markets despite worries about a slowing economy and further regulatory crackdowns.
At the close, the Shanghai Composite index was up 11.59 points, or 0.35 percent, at 3,307.97. The benchmark ended the year 6.6 percent higher.
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AUSTRALIA - Australian shares finished lower on Friday, dragged by financials, but posting their best annual performance since 2013 on the last trading day of the year.
The S&P/ASX 200 index fell 0.4 percent, or 23.0 points, to 6,065.1 at the close of trade. The benchmark added 0.3 percent on Thursday and rose 7.1 percent this year, registering two consecutive years of gains.
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SEOUL - South Korea's KOSPI stock index gained and the Korean won ended at 32-month high on Thursday. It was the last trading day for the year. South Korea's financial markets will resume trading on Jan. 2, an hour later than usual.
At 06:32 GMT, the KOSPI was up 30.82 points or 1.26 percent at 2,467.49.
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FOREIGN EXCHANGE
NEW YORK - The dollar fell to its lowest in over three months against a basket of major currencies on Friday, marking its steepest annual drop since 2003, on doubts over durability of a pickup in U.S. economic growth in wake of last week's tax overhaul.
The dollar index was at a 14-year peak at the start of 2017 on hopes for U.S. President Donald Trump's pro-growth economic agenda. Barring the most dramatic rewrite of the U.S. tax code in 30 years enacted last week, Trump and Republican lawmakers have struggled to pass legislation.
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SHANGHAI - China's yuan closed 2017 at a fresh 3-1/2-month high against the dollar, and is set for the steepest annual gain in nine years.
The spot market opened at 6.5325 per dollar on Friday and surged to a high of 6.5050. By the 0830 GMT domestic close, the onshore spot yuan settled at 6.5120, the strongest finish since Sept.8.
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AUSTRALIA - The Australian dollar was on track for a third straight week of gains on Friday, and its best annual performance in seven years, as optimism for global growth and strong commodity prices helped offset its shrinking yield advantage.
The Australian dollar was taking in the view at $0.7802, having touched a 10-week top of $0.7810 overnight. That left the commodity currency with gains of more than 8 percent for the year, its best showing since 2010.
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SEOUL - South Korea's KOSPI stock index gained and the Korean won ended at 32-month high on Thursday. It was the last trading day for the year. South Korea's financial markets will resume trading on Jan. 2, an hour later than usual.
The won was quoted at 1,070.5 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform , 0.34 percent firmer than its previous close at 1,074.1. The currency rose 0.9 percent for the week, posting a third consecutive rising week. It was up 12.8 percent on a yearly basis, its biggest annual gain since 2004.
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TREASURIES
NEW YORK - Year-end demand helped U.S. Treasuries prices end the year stronger on Friday, before a heavy week of data, though volumes were light before Monday's New Year's Day holiday.
Five-year note yields posted their largest annual increase since 2013 with a 15 percent rise to 2.21 percent. Two-year note yields have risen 58 percent during the year, their largest increase since 2014, to 1.89 percent.
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LONDON - Italian government bond yields climbed to two-months highs on Friday, a day after the president dissolved parliament and a general election was scheduled for March 4.
The yield spread over benchmark German Bunds was also at about its widest since late October at 153 bps. , For a full report, click on - - - -
TOKYO - Japanese government bond prices dipped on Friday, weighed by stronger Tokyo equities and weaker U.S. Treasuries.
The 10-year JGB yield rose 0.5 basis point to 0.055 percent. The benchmark yield was poised to end the year almost unchanged, having been stuck in a narrow range under the Bank of Japan's yield curve control scheme.
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GOLD
Gold extended its rally to a three-month high on Friday, leaping toward its biggest one-year rise in seven years as a wilting U.S. dollar, political tensions and receding concerns over the impact of U.S. interest rate hikes fed into its rally.
Spot gold prices were up 0.67 percent at $1,303.37 per ounce by 2:05 p.m. EST (1905 GMT), poised to finish 2017 up 13 percent. Benchmark U.S. gold futures settled up $12.1, or 0.93 percent, at $1,309.30 per ounce, finishing the year 12 percent higher.
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IRON ORE
Chinese iron ore futures jumped nearly 3 percent on Friday as investors bet that steel mills in the world's top buyer of the ore will restock the raw material ahead of an expected end in March to steel production curbs imposed to cut pollution.
Iron ore on the Dalian Commodity Exchange was up 2.7 percent to 531.5 yuan ($81.67) a tonne by Friday's close.
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BASE METALS
China's war on polluting industries, its supply reforms and robust demand growth have this year combined to create a bonanza for copper and aluminium which are heading for their biggest rises since 2009.
Benchmark copper ended down 0.6 percent at $7,247 a tonne, but prices of the metal used in power and construction are up 31 percent this year and are holding near a 4-year peak at $7,312.50 seen on Thursday.
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OIL
U.S. oil prices closed above $60 a barrel on the final trading day of the year, the first time since mid-2015, as the commodity ended 2017 with a 12 percent gain spurred by strong demand and declining global inventories.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures settled at $60.42, the highest close since June 2015. Brent crude futures were last up 45 cents at $66.62 a barrel at 1932 GMT. Brent broke through $67 this week for the first time since May 2015.
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PALM OIL
Malaysian palm oil fell on Friday evening in a second day of declines, weighed down by a stronger ringgit , its currency of trade.
The benchmark palm oil contract for March delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange fell 0.7 percent to 2,503 ringgit ($618.94) a tonne at the end of the trading day.
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RUBBER
Benchmark TOCOM rubber futures fell for a third consecutive session on Friday and were poised for a decline of about 20 percent this year with plentiful supplies across Asia weighing on the market.
The Tokyo Commodity Exchange rubber contract for June delivery closed down 1.4 percent at 206.7 yen per kg. Key Shanghai futures ended trading 0.2 percent lower at 14,105 yuan per tonne.
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(Bengaluru Bureau; +91 80 6749 1130) Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.