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GLOBAL MARKETS-Euro edges up on data; world stocks gain

Published 08/23/2011, 10:22 AM
Updated 08/23/2011, 10:28 AM
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* German, Chinese PMI data less gloomy than expected

* Hope for more Fed stimulus also buoys markets

* Euro rises against dollar

* Gold retreats after hitting fresh record high (Updates with U.S. markets open, changes dateline, previous LONDON)

NEW YORK, Aug 23 (Reuters) - The euro advanced on Tuesday as German and Chinese factory data relieved some worries about a slowdown in global growth, while world stocks rose.

Bank of America and other financials weighed on U.S. stocks shortly after the opening, with Bank of America shares, down 2.5 percent at $6.26, at one point hitting their lowest level since March 2009.

Focus also remained on whether the Federal Reserve could offer more economic stimulus. U.S. bond prices were lower.

Although euro zone and Chinese PMI data showed economic activity was likely to slow, they indicated there was still some growth. For details see [ID:nL4E7JN0JB], [ID:nL9E7I401I] and [ID:nL9E7I401H].

Markets mostly shrugged off much-weaker-than-expected readings of the ZEW business sentiment index for Germany, the common currency bloc's largest economy.

"Any data that just hints that the world is not ending is going to be well received by the markets," Ian Richards, European equity strategist at RBS, said.

U.S. stocks opened higher but pared gains shortly after that, while world stocks, as measured by the MSCI All-Country World Index <.MIWD00000PUS>, were up 1.1 percent and the FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of top European shares was up 0.68 percent.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 111.33 points, or 1.03 percent, at 10,965.98. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 12.42 points, or 1.11 percent, at 1,136.24. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 35.74 points, or 1.52 percent, at 2,381.12.

Financial markets have been struggling in recent weeks with fears of another U.S. recession and of growing debt problems in the euro zone, which could begin to affect the global economy.

The euro was last up 0.2 percent against the dollar .

Gold prices retreated from Monday's record highs. Spot gold was down 0.8 percent at $1,881.40 an ounce.

Brent crude was down 24 cents a barrel at $108.12.

In the U.S. Treasury market, the benchmark 10-year note slipped 8/32 in price, its yield edging up to 2.14 percent from 2.11 percent late on Monday. (Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Additional reporting by Dominic Lau, Atul Prakash and Anirban Nag in London; Editing by James Dalgleish)

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