* U.S. stocks trim gains after Federal Reserve statement
* Dollar gains vs yen, euro after 'hawkish' Fed statement
* Oil settles up near $73 a bbl on U.S. crude stocks drop
* U.S. government debt little changed after Fed statement (Updates with close of U.S. markets)
By Herbert Lash
NEW YORK, Dec 16 (Reuters) - U.S. equities trimmed gains to trade just above break-even on Wednesday and the U.S. dollar gained against the yen after Federal Reserve policy-makers signaled the start to the end of its easy money regime.
The Fed took note of improving conditions for banks and said it would shutter most of its emergency lending facilities on Feb. 1, the clearest sign yet it was ready to pull back from extraordinary efforts to fight the global financial crisis. For details, see: [ID:nN16119711]
Financial shares, which had initially climbed after sources said global banking regulators will give institutions a grace period before enforcing more stringent capital rules, slipped after the Fed statement. [ID:nTOE5BF01O]
"We're not going to have all that free capital that we had previously," said Dan Cook, senior market analyst at IG Markets in Chicago. "That will have people concerned heading into the new year.
"By putting a firm date on the end of some of these facilities -- which will be coming up quickly -- that might put a bit of pressure on the stock market in the first part of 2010," Cook said.
The planned removal of economic stimulus hurt Brazilian stocks, which closed down almost 1 percent, on investor worries about the carry trade -- using cheap dollar funding to buy higher-yielding, but riskier assets.
The Fed had guaranteed liquidity in the markets, which encouraged risk-taking and the purchase of assets perceived as risky, said Sebastien Galy, senior currency strategist BNP Paribas in New York.
"The message from the Fed is positive in recognizing that the economy has evolved," said Marcelo Portilho, a strategist with CM Capital Markets in an on-line conversation.
"But the view of less stimulus (in the future) could leave the market doubtful over the short term," he said. "The markets want stimulus."
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> closed down 10.88 points, or 0.10 percent, at 10,441.12. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> rose 1.25 points, or 0.11 percent, at 1,109.18. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 5.86 points, or 0.27 percent, at 2,206.91.
Market reaction to the Fed statement was muted outside of the currencies and stocks.
U.S. Treasury debt prices were little changed but copper prices rallied to a one-week high and maintained a bullish tone in after-hours trade despite the slightly firmer dollar.
Treasuries, which had earlier risen following a downgrade of Greece's sovereign debt as well as fresh data showing low U.S. inflation, sank back to levels near Tuesday's close.
Benchmark 10-year notes
The dollar was down against a basket of major currencies, with the U.S. Dollar Index <.DXY> down 0.09 percent at 76.893.
The euro
Oil surged to near $73 a barrel after data showed crude stocks in the United States fell more than expected last week, easing concerns about flagging demand.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration, the statistical arm of the Department of Energy, said crude inventories declined by 3.7 million barrels last week, eclipsing analysts expectations for just a 1.8 million barrel decline. [EIA/S]
Crude for January delivery
Spot gold prices
Before the Fed statement shares of major Japanese banks surged and European bank shares <.SX7P> rose on relief that banks will have more time to adjust to new rules being drafted by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. [ID:nTOE5BF01O]
Three people with knowledge of the matter said the committee would stick to a plan to gradually implement changes starting in 2012, and give banks a transition period.
The Nikkei share average closed at a seven-week high, up 0.9 percent <.N225>, leading Asian stock markets on speculation banks may not have to raise more capital in the near term.
The MSCI index of Asia Pacific stocks outside Japan was down 0.8 percent <.MIAPJ0000PUS>, weighed down by the materials and consumer staples sectors. (Reporting by Chuck Mikolajcz, Steven C. Johnson, Joshua Schneyer, Emily Flitter and Ellen Freilich in New York; Atul Prakash, Tamawa Desai and Jan Harvey in London and Luciana Lopez in Sao Paulo; writing by Herbert Lash; Editing by Theodore d'Afflisio)