Sebagian besar saham AS berakhir flat jelang hasil rapat the Fed

New York, AFP (31/07) – Saham-saham AS sebagian besar ditutup datar pada hari Selasa kecuali Nasdaq yang mencatat keuntungan cukup solid sejalan dengan ditunggunya hasil dari pertemuan kebijakan moneter Federal Reserve. Indeks Dow Jones Industrial Average tergelincir 1,38 (0,01 persen) menjadi 15,520.59. Indeks berbasis luas S & P 500 bertambah 0,63 (0,04 persen) pada posisi 1,685.96. Saham teknologi Nasdaq Composite Index mengungguli dengan kenaikan 17,33 (0,48 persen) menjadi 3,616.47. Indeks Dow dan S & P 500 melayang masuk dan keluar dari wilayah positif setelah kerugian yang diderita hari Senin, sementara Nasdaq mempertahankan keuntungannya di sepanjang sesi perdagangan yang relatif tenang. Kondisi ini terjadi karena Federal Reserve membuka pertemuan kebijakan moneter dua hari yang diperkirakan tidak tidak akan memberikan arah baru tapi mungkin petunjuk atas rencana the Fed terhadap pengurangan stimulus besar-besaran. 'Biasanya, pasar saham dan obligasi akan tenang selama hari-hari pertemuan kebijakan karena para pedagang menunggu pernyataan kebijakan the Fed yang dijadwalkan akan dirilis pada pukul 2:00 pm Rabu (01:00 WIB),' kata Fred Dickson, kepala strategi investasi dari Davidson Companies. Angka yang lebih lemah dari perkiraan pada sentimen konsumen mengimbangi laporan yang kuat pada kenaikan harga rumah sesuai dengan perkiraan Wall Street. Sementara itu, data ekonomi yang dirilis hari ini menunjukan indeks kepercayaan konsumen dari Conference Board turun menjadi 80,3 pada bulan Juli dari 82,1 pada bulan Juni. (brc)

US Stocks flat but Nasdaq outperforms as Fed meets

AFP, (31/7) -- US stocks closed mostly flat on Tuesday, except for Nasdaq's solid gain, as investors awaited the outcome of a Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 1.38 (0.01 percent) to 15,520.59. The broad-based S&P 500 added 0.63 (0.04 percent) at 1,685.96. The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index outperformed, advancing 17.33 (0.48 percent) to 3,616.47. The Dow and the S&P 500 drifted in and out of positive territory after Monday's losses, while the Nasdaq maintained gains throughout the quiet trading session. The action came as the Federal Reserve opened a two-day monetary policy meeting expected to provide no new direction but perhaps clues to the Fed's thinking on winding down massive stimulus. 'Typically, the stock and bond markets are calm during meeting days as traders  wait for the Fed's policy statement, scheduled for release at 2:00 pm (1800 GMT)  tomorrow,' said Fred Dickson, chief investment strategist at Davidson Companies. A weaker-than-expected reading on consumer sentiment offset a strong report on home prices in line with Wall Street estimates. The Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell to 80.3 in July from 82.1 in June.

 

Gold eases in quiet trade, all eyes on Fed meeting

Reuters, (30/7) -- Gold inched lower in quiet trading on Tuesday as participants largely stayed on the sidelines ahead of a Federal Reserve policy statement on Wednesday that may provide clues on the pace at which it plans to scale back its bond-buying program. Bullion pared earlier losses on signs the U.S. economy may be slowing as data showed home prices in May rose less than expected and consumer confidence waned in July. The Fed is scheduled to release a policy statement Wednesday afternoon after its two-day meeting. Traders will be looking for clues as to when the U.S. central bank will start tapering its $85 billion monthly bond purchases. Gold plunged 5 percent after the Fed's June meeting when it gave its most explicit signal yet that it plans to wind down the era of easy money. However, Fed chief Ben Bernanke's subsequent remarks about the need to keep a stimulative policy in place given low inflation and an uncertain market triggered a gold rally. 'If Bernanke comes out and specifically indicates that there is underlying weakness in the jobs market, then I think gold is going to go much higher,' said Jeffrey Sica, chief investment officer at Sica Wealth, which manages over $1 billion in client assets. Spot gold was down 58 cents to $1,326.41 an ounce by 3:03 p.m. EDT (1903 GMT), having traded in a narrow $10 range. U.S. gold futures for August delivery settled down $4.40 to $1,324 an ounce, with trading volume about 20 percent below its 30-day average, preliminary Reuters data showed. Fed officials are likely to have a lively debate on how best to prepare financial markets for a reduction of their bond-buying program but appear certain to wait for further economic data before curtailing their stimulus. Gold moved above $1,300 last week for the first time in a month on Bernanke's comments that any reduction in bond purchases was not set in stone and depended on the strength of the economy. The Fed previously said it was likely to begin reducing its stimulus program later in 2013 and halt it altogether by mid-2014.

Dolar naik, Saham mengupas keuntungan seiring pertemuan bank sentral

Reuters (31/7) - Bursa indeks menyerah keuntungan paling besar di pasar dunia pada Selasa seiring investor diposisikan menjelang pertemuan minggu ini dari AS, Inggris dan zona euro bank sentral, sementara dolar naik dari lima minggu terakhir level terendahnya. Sebuah pick-up di daerah konsumen euro dan kepercayaan dunia usaha memberikan hadiah saham sebagai dorongan awal seiring mereka menunggu petunjuk kebijakan dari Federal Reserve, Bank Sentral Eropa dan Bank of England, dan laporan pekerjaan AS Jumat untuk Juli. Dolar pulih dari kerugian terhadap yen setelah data AS Menunjukkan harga rumah keluarga tunggal naik pada bulan Mei, Meskipun laju keuntungan berkurang Dibandingkan dengan April. Dolar AS terus menjauh pada hari Senin lima pekan penurunannya seiring investor melihat penurunan tajam selama dua minggu terakhir sebagai kesempatan untuk mendapatkan kembali menjelang kesimpulan dari pertemuan Fed dan data pertumbuhan minggu ini dan data pekerjaan. Indeks dolar berakhir naik sebesar 0,2%. Dollar ditutup naik 0,1% terhadap yen. Indeks Dow Jones Industrial Average turun sebanyak 15,27 poin, atau sebesat 12,10%, di level 15,506.70. The Standard & Poor 500 turun 0.59 poin, atau 0.4%, pada level 1,684.74. Nasdaq Composite Index naik sebanyak 12,89 poin, atau sebesar 0.36%, pada level 3,612.03.(izr)