---------------------------(8 a.m.)--------------------------- 
 Stock Markets 
 DJIA          13,473.90  +41.13  Nikkei        15,744.12 -188.14 
 NASDAQ         2,671.14  +18.79  FTSE           6,559.80  +22.90 
 S&P 500        1,486.59   +8.94  Hang Seng     28,418.71 -102.35 
 CRB Index        354.08   +7.25 
 Bonds 
 US 10 YR Bond     4.084  +0.110 
 US 30 YR Bond     4.536  +0.070 
 Currencies 
 EUR US$          1.4723  1.4726  Yen US$          111.81  111.86 
 INR US$         39.375  39.385 
 Commodities 
 Gold (Lon)       814.00          Silver (Lon)     14.635 
 Gold (NY)        806.60          Light Crude       93.75 
 ____________________________(Dec 13)____________________________ 
    Overnight market action from New York and London, updates to 
Thursday midsession Tokyo, Hong Kong open. 
    EQUITIES 
    NEW YORK - U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday on muted 
optimism over a move by the Federal Reserve and central banks to 
dissolve a global credit crunch. 
    Indexes ended well off their highs, however, as investors 
worried whether it was enough to shore up the U.S. economy. 
    Based on the latest available data, the Dow Jones industrial 
average <.DJI> rose 46.41 points, or 0.35 percent, to end 
unofficially at 13,479.18. 
    The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 9.31 points, or 
0.63 percent, at 1,486.96. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was 
up 18.82 points, or 0.71 percent, at 2,671.17. 
    - - - - 
    LONDON - Britain's leading share index ended up on Wednesday, 
recovering from earlier losses, after major global central banks 
including the U.S. Federal Reserve announced steps to ease 
liquidity tensions. 
    Led by oil plays and index heavyweight Vodafone <VOD.L>, the 
FTSE 100 <.FTSE> closed up 22.9 points, or 0.35 percent at 
6,559.8 in volatile trade after falling as much as 1.6 percent 
earlier on disappointment about the Fed's modest quarter point 
rate cut. Major European indexes also finished the day higher. 
    - - - - 
    TOKYO - Japanese stocks slid on Thursday, with bank shares 
such as Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group <8306.T> hit after a move 
by the Federal Reserve and other central banks to ease the credit 
crunch failed to reassure investors. 
    Stocks were sold across the board, with initial support from 
energy stocks evaporating and only a handful of shares such as 
Sony Corp <6758.T> managing to buck the bearish trend. 
    The Nikkei <.N225> ended the morning down 1.18 percent at 
15,744.12, a loss of 188.14 points. The broader TOPIX <.TOPX> was 
down by 1.36 percent at 1,535.71. 
    - - - - 
    HONG KONG - Hong Kong stocks held steady on Thursday as 
investors tread cautiously amid doubts over plans by the U.S. 
Federal Reserve and other major central banks to ease credit 
market strains, pressuring financial shares. 
    The benchmark Hang Seng Index <.HSI> opened 0.01 percent 
lower at 28,518.78. 
    The Hang Seng properties sub-index <.HSNP> had fallen 0.52 
percent as of 0208 GMT. 
    The Hang Seng finance sub-index <.HSNF> had fallen 0.30 
percent as of 0206 GMT. 
    - - - -