(Updates to U.S. close)
* World equity indexes down 0.1%
* S&P, Dow Jones Industrial Average higher; Nasdaq slips
* Fed meeting, tech earnings in focus
* Palladium hits record high
* Dollar steadies, up from multiweek lows
* Oil rebounds
By Matt Scuffham and Danilo Masoni
NEW YORK/MILAN, April 27 (Reuters) - Shares eased from
record peaks on Tuesday as optimism about a global economic
recovery was dented by caution before a policy decision by the
U.S. Federal Reserve and earnings updates from a number of
blue-chip companies.
MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe .MIWD00000PUS shed
0.11%.
The world index has risen 9% so far this year, underpinned
by expectations that rising COVID-19 vaccination rates will
allow more economies to recover and give a big boost to company
profits.
Earnings in Europe are expected to have risen 61% in the
first quarter, while U.S. profits are seen up more than 31%,
according to the latest Refinitiv IBES estimates.
Many investors, however, stayed on the sidelines ahead of
the Fed meeting which ends on Wednesday, when the U.S. central
bank is expected to confirm that it will maintain its easy
monetary policy to bolster the economy.
One area of concern was India, which is struggling with
surging coronavirus infections that have overwhelmed its
healthcare system. Markets were also awaiting results from U.S. tech
heavyweights Microsoft Corp MSFT.O and Alphabet Inc GOOGL.O
later on Tuesday. Companies that represent about 40% of the S&P
500's market capitalization report from Tuesday through
Thursday.
Some analysts say the recent rally has made stocks
vulnerable to profit taking, given lofty valuations and high
expectations going into the reporting season.
"We've been in a significant rally for quite some time,"
said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment strategist at Inverness
Counsel in New York. "The laws of gravity tell you that at some
point we're going to see a pullback."
Major U.S. indices were mixed.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 3.36 points, or
0.01%, to 33,984.93, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 0.9 points, or
0.02%, to 4,186.72 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped
48.56 points, or 0.34%, to 14,090.22.
In Europe, bank results got the attention. Strong earnings
sent shares in Europe's biggest bank by assets, HSBC HSBA.L ,
up 4.2%, while UBS UBSG.S fell 2.0% after a surprise hit
linked to the collapse of hedge fund Archegos.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX slipped 0.1%.
Palladium prices hit a record, spurred by persistent supply
worries, while gold held a narrow range as investors awaited
policy signals from the Fed's meeting.
Palladium XPD= hit a record of $2,962.50 per ounce.
Spot gold XAU= dropped 0.3% to $1,775.57 an ounce.
U.S. gold futures GCv1 settled down 0.1% at $1,778.8 an
ounce.
Oil rebounded as optimism ahead of a meeting of producer
group OPEC+ to discuss output policy offset concern that India's
coronavirus crisis could dent a recovery in fuel demand.
U.S. crude futures CLc1 settled at $62.94 per barrel, up
$1.03 or 1.66%. Brent crude futures LCOc1 settled at $66.42
per barrel, up 77 cents or 1.17%.
The dollar hovered near multiweek lows versus other major
currencies, but moves were narrow as traders avoided taking out
big positions before a bond auction and the Fed meeting.
The dollar index =USD rose 0.024%.
"Nobody really believes that the Fed will change its forward
guidance, but, just in case, investors appear to be loading up
on U.S. dollar as a hedge," said OANDA analyst Jeffrey Halley.
Bond traders were closely watching an auction of $62 billion
of seven-year U.S. Treasuries later on Tuesday.
Benchmark 10-year notes US10YT=RR last fell 16/32 in price
to yield 1.627%, from 1.57% late on Monday.
Bitcoin BTC=BTSP rose 1% to $54,636. The world's most
popular cryptocurrency soared nearly 10% on Monday, after five
straight days of losses, on reports that JPMorgan Chase JPM.N
is planning to offer a managed Bitcoin fund. Bitcoin had slumped almost a fifth from an all-time high hit
this month.
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World FX rates YTD http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
Global asset performance http://tmsnrt.rs/2yaDPgn
World stocks PE https://tmsnrt.rs/3sT6p1y
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