US budget deadlock, data, slow stocks; euro surges

NEW YORK: Major US stock indexes were mixed yesterday while Treasuries yields fell as concern about the stalemate in crucial US budget talks and soft US economic data added to worries about slowing economic growth.
The euro fell to session lows against the dollar after data on US consumer spending and income fell short of expectations , though it later recovered as investors focused on the positives in Europe after a deal between Greece and international lenders earlier in the week.
US President Barack Obama, reiterating his re-election campaign theme of protecting the middle class, heads to Pennsylvania on Friday to argue that Republicans could spoil Christmas by driving the country over the "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and spending cuts set to kick in early next year. "Washington brinkmanship and a delay in reaching an agreement on the 'fiscal cliff' are likely to rattle markets. These risks and uncertainties are likely to keep markets volatile," said John Praveen, chief investment strategist at Prudential International Investments Advisers LLC.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 6.29 points, or 0.05 percent, at 13,028.11. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 0.48 point, or 0.03 percent, at 1,415.47. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 4.53 points, or 0.15 percent, at 3,007.50.
The benchmark 10-year US Treasury note was up 2/32, the yield at 1.6113 percent. A private report on business activity in the Chicago area in November matched economists' forecasts, portending moderate growth for the U.S. economy. .
"These numbers were soft," said Ryan Sweet, senior economist with Moody's Analytics, shortly after the consumer spending data was released. The MSCI world equity index edged up 0.1 percent to near its highest level for November at 332.73, having added almost 1 percent on Thursday.
The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares rose 0.1 percent to 1,122.90, adding to Thursday's 1.1 percent gain, which took it to a four-month closing high.
European shares are on course for their best month since August and a sixth straight monthly gain as sentiment over the outlook for Europe has improved since a deal was reached on aid to Greece earlier this week.
Those signs have also helped the euro, which was up 0.3 percent against the dollar to $ 1.3013 after climbing to a five-week high. The single currency touched a seven-month high against the yen.
Strong demand at an Italian bond auction this week, which cut Rome's borrowing costs to a two-year low, and falls in Spanish bond yields have encouraged investors to return to European assets.
Spanish and Italian 10-year bond yields were stable yesterday at 5.3 percent and 4.49 percent respectively, well below their peak in July, when Spain's debt yielded more than 6 percent.
Earlier, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.6 percent to be at its highest level since March 1, after a monthly gain of 2.1 percent.
The US fiscal crisis remains the center of focus in oil markets due to its potential impact on demand from the world's biggest consumer. Crude was up ahead of the weekend.
Brent crude rose 0.3 percent to $ 111.06 a barrel, while US crude rose 0.5 percent to $ 88.52 a barrel.
"No significant progress seems to have been made in the US budgetary dispute, which has led to profit-taking, especially since oil is trading at the upper end of its trading corridor," said Commerzbank oil analyst Carsten Fritsch.
Gold fell to $ 1,717.15 an ounce.