GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks mostly lower, bond prices rise as economic fears grow

* U.S. technology stocks drive Nasdaq higher
* U.S. home sales, continuing jobless claims show strength
* Economic outlook clouded by rising COVID-19 infection,
lockdowns

By Alwyn Scott
NEW YORK, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Stocks were broadly lower on
Thursday and bond prices rose as a weak reading on U.S.
employment and concerns that new COVID-19 restrictions could
stifle economic recovery offset optimism about coronavirus
vaccines.
Technology shares were edging higher, as the new lockdowns
reinforced expectations of demand for online services.
"The stay-at-home trade is back and boosting the Nasdaq
again," Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA in New York,
wrote in a note.
The dollar eased slightly and U.S. 10-year Treasury yields
fell after the U.S. reported on Thursday an unexpectedly large
rise in jobless claims in the week ended Nov. 14.
The latest U.S. tally of new claims for unemployment
insurance showed 742,000 compared with 711,000 the prior week
and forecasts of 707,000 among economists polled by Reuters.

But continuing jobless claims declined and strong U.S. home
sales in October suggest underlying strength, Citi U.S.
Economics analysts said.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI was down 87.8
points, or 0.3%, to 29,350.62, while the S&P 500 .SPX was off
5.43 points, or 0.15%, to 3,562.36. The Nasdaq Composite .IXIC
was up 44.48 points, or 0.38%, to 11,846.08.
The dollar index =USD fell 0.029%, with the euro EUR=
down 0.03% to $1.1849.
Treasuries Benchmark 10-year notes US10YT=RR last rose
9/32 in price to yield 0.8521%, from 0.882% late on Wednesday.
The dollar had been trending higher earlier in the day,
though its gains were tempered by renewed concern about further
monetary easing to shore up the economy.
Positive news about possible vaccines had helped push the
MSCI World Index to a record high earlier in the week, but
investors pulled back as a host of countries announced record
infection rates and tougher lockdowns to curb the virus' spread.
The MSCI benchmark for global equity markets .MIWD00000PUS
fell 0.45% to 610.11. Europe's broad FTSEurofirst 300 index
.FTEU3 dropped 0.75% to 1,496.62.
The weaker sentiment was partly triggered by a late sell-off
in the U.S. on Wednesday after news that the country's COVID-19
deaths had passed 250,000, setting off a host of lockdowns. New
York City's public school system, the country's largest, halted
classroom instruction. The positive vaccine news had continued Wednesday after
Pfizer PFE.N said its COVID-19 vaccine was 95% effective and
it would apply for emergency U.S. authorization within days,
following a similar recent report from Moderna MRNA.O .
"The vaccines news are a positive medium-term impulse for
the global economic outlook and investors are trying to weigh
that against the prospect of an imminent stalling of the
European and U.S. recovery amid the prospect of extensions of
current lockdown measures," said Rodrigo Catril, a senior FX
strategist at NAB.

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