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Worldwide stocks edge pull back from latest all-time highs

European stocks were mixed in early trading on Friday after careful Asian markets put a. dampener on the current equity rally, in a move attributed to. profittaking after a hectic week.

A surprise rate cut from Switzerland's reserve bank on. Thursday helped press markets to new highs, as traders understood. that major reserve banks all over the world would not always. wait for U.S. Federal Reserve rate cuts before delivering their. own.

Wall Street rallied overnight, with all three major indexes. extending their streak of record highs. However belief turned. more cautious throughout Asian trading hours.

China's yuan dropped sharply, striking a four-month low, in a. relocation experts attributed to increasing expectations that there will. be more financial reducing to prop up the country's economy. Chinese shares fell, dragging down markets more broadly.

At 1007, the MSCI World Equity Index was down 0.1% on the. day, but up 1.9% on the week as a whole, on track for its. most significant weekly gain so far this year.

Europe's STOXX 600 was up 0.1%, touching a new. all-time high, while London's FTSE 100 was up 0.9%. MSCI's Europe index was down 0.2% and France's CAC 40. was likewise down 0.2%.

In a hectic week for markets, traders drew self-confidence not just. from Switzerland's rate cut on Thursday, but likewise from the Bank. of England being more dovish than anticipated. The BoE stated the. economy is relocating the best direction for it to start. cutting rates.

The U.S. Federal Reserve stated at its meeting on Wednesday. that recent high inflation readings had not altered the. underlying story of gradually alleviating cost pressures.

I believe there may be some profit-taking at the end of the. week, even if of the amount of information that we've seen and the. reality that we have seen more favorable surprises, said Baylee. Wakefield, multi-asset fund supervisor at Aviva.

Trading may also reduce in the lead-up to the Easter. weekend, Wakefield added.

The U.S. dollar index was up 0.4% at 104.400, on. track for its best week given that the first week of the year.

The dollar's essentially going to have its finest week since. January which is since markets are now accepting that other. major reserve banks will minimize their policy rate quicker than. the Fed, particularly due to the fact that we've had further evidence from the. strong financial data we have actually had out of the U.S. this week,. Aviva's Wakefield stated.

U.S. out of work claims suddenly fell, sales of previously. owned homes increased by the most in a year in February and U.S. company activity held constant in March, data this week showed. A. gauge of future economic activity in the U.S. turned positive in. February for the time in two years.

The euro was down 0.4% at $1.0819. The likelihood. of a European Reserve bank rate cut before summer is increasing,. Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel said.

The pound was down 0.6% at $1.258, injured by BoE. Governor Andrew Bailey stating in a Financial Times interview. that the expectation of more rate of interest cuts this year on a. whole was not unreasonable.

Euro zone government bond yields were set for a weekly. decrease. The benchmark German 10-year yield was down by 3 basis. points at 2.371%.

Oil prices fell due to the possibility of a ceasefire in. Gaza. The stronger dollar and lower U.S. gasoline demand also. weighed on rates.

Gold was down 0.7% at $2,166.31 per ounce, having actually struck. a record quote high of $2,222.39 on Thursday.

Financial investment streams into gold in the week to Wednesday reached. their greatest in practically a year, Bank of America Global Research. stated.

(source: Reuters)