* ECB stimulus helps euro, periphery spreads
* Wall Street opens subdued after tough export data
* Dollar struggles to pulls out of recent slide
* Brent crude dips after tops $40 for first time since March
By Marc Jones
LONDON, June 4 (Reuters) - World markets swung between hope
and caution on Thursday as a another shot of European Central
Bank stimulus was offset by still-troublesome U.S. data and
general fatigue after a weeks-long rebound in risk appetites
European equities .EU , oil O/R and euro markets /FRX
had been lower before the ECB said it would nearly double the
size of its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme to 1.35
trillion euros, extend it until June 2021 at the earliest and
re-invest the proceeds until at least the end of 2022. /FRX
This was beyond what most analysts had predicted and came on
the heels of a huge domestic support package from Germany
It pushed the euro back above $1.1250 and European
stock markets into positive territory, although that proved
brief. .EU
"This reflects the `we will do what it takes' mentality of
central bankers," said Neil Birrell, chief investment officer at
Premier Miton, adding it was "likely to keep markets happy."
What didn't please traders so much was the U.S data that
came shortly afterwards. Wall Street opened down .SPX after
figures showed exports had dropped by a record 20.5% in April to
a 10-year low.
Goods exports plunged 25.2% to $95.5 billion, the lowest
since September 2009. Exports of motor vehicles and parts fell
to $3.8 billion, the lowest since March 1992. Shipments of
consumer goods dropped to $10.4 billion, the lowest since April
2006.
The euro's jump at the ECB's latest measures had already
caused the dollar to wobble. The U.S. currency had been on
course =USD for its first broad rise in a week, but those
hopes looked to be fading. /FRX
Market optimism about the post-COVID 19 recovery has reduced
the dollar's safe-haven appeal, as have widespread protests in
the U.S. over the death of a black man in police custody.
The U.S. currency had began strengthening in overnight
trading, pushing the Japanese yen to a two-month low of 109.150.
JPY=EBS.
The Australian dollar dropped as much as 0.5% to $0.6884
AUD=D3 after retail sales there plunged, although the
country's fourth stimulus package had helped shares gain
.AXJO . The ECB's additional bond buying saw Italy lead a fall in
government bond yields, with 10-year borrowing costs tumbling
more than 15 basis points to 1.40% IT10YT=RR -- their lowest
level since late March.
Safe-haven German 10-year bond yields climbed to their
highest since mid-April at -0.32% DE10YT=RR , 20-year yields
went positive for the first time since January and benchmark
U.S. Treasury 10-year yields US10YT=RR rose 0.8%.
RALLY RELENTS
Hong Kong's stock market .HSI remained hobbled by concerns
about Beijing's new national security law. Chinese airline
shares also drooped after U.S. President Donald Trump's
administration said it would bar Chinese passenger carriers from
flying to the United States from June 16. Oil prices, which have been on a tear in recent weeks, also
dipped as doubts about supply cuts by major producers began to
creep back in. O/R
Saudi Arabia and Russia, two of the world's biggest oil
producers, have agreed to support an extension into July of the
9.7 million barrels per day supply cuts backed in April.
But they failed to agree on holding an OPEC+ meeting on
Thursday to discuss the cuts, with OPEC sources saying it would
be conditional on cuts by countries that have not complied with
their targets so far.
U.S. crude CLc1 fell as much as 2% to $36.53 a barrel,
while the ECB helped Brent crude LCOc1 temper falls. It was
last at $39.40 per barrel, having climbed above $40 a barrel for
the first time since early March on Wednesday.
Spot gold XAU= rose 0.5% to $1,708 an ounce Thursday after
losing 1.6% on Wednesday.
($1 = 0.8898 euros)
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