(Updates prices throughout with US market close, adds oil
settlement and new analyst quote)
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Wall Street stocks advance in choppy trading
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Fed rate cut keeps investors upbeat
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European shares finish week slightly lower
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Gold prices rise, crude oil falls
By Chibuike Oguh and Elizabeth Howcroft
NEW YORK, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Global stocks rose in
choppy trading on Friday, on track for a weekly gain, driven by
positive sentiment on Wall Street following key central bank
decisions.
The Federal Reserve cut U.S. interest rates by a quarter of a
percentage point on Wednesday, the first easing since December,
while Norway and Canada also cut rates.
On Wall Street, all three indexes finished higher a day
after hitting record highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average
rose 0.37% to 46,315.27, the S&P 500 advanced
0.49% to 6,664.36, and the Nasdaq Composite firmed 0.72%
to 22,631.48.
European shares finished down 0.16%, and for the
week were down 0.13%.
Japan's Nikkei fell 0.57% after the Bank of Japan
decided to start selling its holdings of risky assets. MSCI's
gauge of stocks across the globe hit a fresh
record high of 982.29, adding nearly 1% for the week.
Investors are betting that central bank rate cuts will boost
stocks further.
"The market for the past several weeks has all been focused
on and relying on the Fed meeting and the Fed's decision, and
there was enough in the decision to leave everyone just slightly
disappointed though basically satisfied," said Michael Farr,
chief executive of investment advisory firm Farr, Miller &
Washington in Washington.
The Fed stopped short of endorsing market expectations for a
clear string of rate cuts, emphasizing a meeting-by-meeting,
data-dependent approach. The Fed's tone, along with the wide
range of views within the U.S. central bank, disappointed some
investors, who had hoped the stock market would be boosted by a
rapid shift to lower rates, analysts said.
"Markets have done exceptionally well and now markets are
looking for the next driver or the next bit of news," Farr said.
"I think as we probably get into earnings season in October,
those reports will be more important than ever because we need
to see and the Fed needs to see if tariffs are indeed making
their way into bottom-line profits."
The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes rose
2.5 basis points to 4.129%. The 2-year note yield,
which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations
for the Fed, rose 0.6 basis points to 3.574%.
"The short-term momentum is clearly higher and we are
playing the market to the upside because that's what the
short-term momentum is telling you," said Bill Strazzullo,
partner and chief market strategist at Bell Curve Trading in
Boston.
"But I think it's a lot more complicated now because the Fed
clearly has chosen to err on the side of the weaker labor market
so that's talking about more rate cuts."
Following their first call in three months, U.S. President
Donald Trump said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping made
progress on a TikTok agreement and would meet face-to-face in
six weeks in South Korea to discuss trade, illicit drugs and
Russia's war in Ukraine.
A stopgap spending bill that would avert an October 1
government shutdown fell short in the U.S. Senate on Friday. The
bill had been passed by the House of Representatives.
The U.S. dollar index rose for a third straight
session, up 0.33% to 97.67, but was still set to notch a third
straight week of losses.
The dollar strengthened 0.4% to 0.795 against the Swiss
franc, but was down 0.03% to 147.97 against the
Japanese yen.
The euro fell 0.35% against the dollar to $1.1745.
The British pound fell 0.64% to $1.3467.
The Bank of England kept rates on hold on Thursday, but slowed
the pace at which it is unloading the government bonds it
purchased in previous crises.
Oil prices settled lower as traders' worries about fuel
demand outweighed the typical boost from a U.S. rate cut.
Brent crude futures fell 1.1% to settle at $66.68 a
barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures lost
1.4%, to $62.68.
Gold was up 1.04% at $3,681.79, notching its fifth straight
week of gains.