(Updates to U.S. open)
* MSCI world index down 0.5%
* Major U.S. indices open lower
* Dollar set to avoid 4-week losing streak
* Oil prices fall on lockdown fears
* Euro zone Q1 GDP falls less than expected
* Global asset performance https://tmsnrt.rs/33TWwY1
By Matt Scuffham and Carolyn Cohn
NEW YORK/LONDON, April 30 (Reuters) - World shares softened
following Thursday's record peak on strong U.S. data and
earnings, while the dollar was on course to narrowly avoid a
fourth straight weekly decline.
MSCI's broadest gauge of world shares .MIWD00000PUS dipped
but remained close to a record peak touched the previous day,
and on track for its strongest month since November.
The index, which covers 50 markets, shed 0.49%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 123.28 points,
or 0.36%, to 33,937.08, the S&P 500 lost 18.14 points, or 0.43%,
to 4,193.33 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 60.54
points, or 0.43%, to 14,022.01.
Data on Thursday showed U.S. economic growth accelerated in
the first quarter, fuelled by massive government aid to
households and businesses. That came against the backdrop of the Federal Reserve's
reassurance on Wednesday that it was not time yet to begin
discussing any change in its easy monetary policy. With just over a half of S&P 500 companies reporting
earnings, about 87% beat market expectations, according to
Refinitiv, the highest level in recent years.
"The Federal Reserve continues to support, Biden has this
huge stimulus programme as well and the earnings season
continues -- so far we have seen relatively benign as well as
strong earnings," said Eddie Cheng, head of international
multi-asset portfolio management at Wells Fargo Asset
Management.
For both the MSCI world index and the S&P500, analysts are
expecting earnings in the next 12 months to recover to above
pre-pandemic levels.
In Europe, the pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX rose
0.13%
Euro zone GDP data showed a year-on-year drop of 1.8% in the
first quarter, stronger than expectations of a 2% fall, though
economists said the bloc was on a recovery path. "There is increasingly bright light at the end of the
tunnel," Commerzbank analysts said.
"The speed of the vaccinations is picking up and the EU
recovery fund is also finally getting off the ground."
New coronavirus infections in India surged to a fresh
record, however, and France's health minister said the dangers
of the Indian variant must not be underestimated. "Risky assets have had quite a few wobbles within the
month," said Cheng.
"We need to get used to the fact that this is not going to
be a straight line."
The euro EUR= extended its bull run to a two-month high of
$1.2150 in the previous session before dropping 0.30% following
the euro zone data.
"The euro is more sensitive to the European economic
outlook, than to (what) happens in the U.S.", said Kit Juckes,
head of FX strategy at Societe Generale.
The dollar index =USD , a measure of the greenback's value
against a basket of major peers, rose 0.299%, leaving it set to
end the week flat, although still down 2.56% for the month as a
whole.
Oil prices fell on concerns about wider lockdowns in India
and Brazil.
U.S. crude CLc1 recently fell 1.85% to $63.81 per barrel
and Brent LCOc1 was at $67.40, down 1.69% on the day.
Spot gold XAU= dropped 0.1% to $1,770.15 an ounce. U.S.
gold futures GCc1 gained 0.21% to $1,771.80 an ounce.
Mainland Chinese shares .CSI300 lost 0.8%, while Japan's
Nikkei .N225 also shed 0.8% on position adjustments ahead of a
long weekend. Both markets will be closed through Wednesday.
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
World FX rates YTD http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
Asset performance in US dollar terms https://tmsnrt.rs/33TWwY1
Euro zone economic growth and stocks https://tmsnrt.rs/3e1Ejgi
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
(Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa, Raju Gopalakrishnan, William
Maclean; Editing by Toby Chopra and Frances Kerry)