* Seasonally adjusted retail sales rise 1.7 pct* Sales grew just 0.2 pct in previous quarter* Groceries and dining out drive growth, car sales also pick up (Recasts; adds market reaction, details, analyst quote)By Charlotte GreenfieldWELLINGTON, Feb 23 (Reuters) - New Zealand retail sales picked up the pace in the fourth quarter, rising 1.7 percent as consumers splashed out on groceries and dining...Read More

BRUSSELS, Feb 23 (Reuters) - The strong euro currency is a "point of attention" for policymakers at the European Central Bank, Belgium's ECB Governing Council member Jan Smets said.The single European currency's value increased by some 15 percent against the dollar in 2017 and has since jumped by another 3 percent, lowering the cost of imports and therefore inflation in the 19 countries...Read More

By Miguel Angel Gutierrez and Sheky EspejoMEXICO CITY, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Latin American currencies gained on Thursday as the U.S. dollar's rally from a three-year low last week ran out of steam, with the Mexican peso strengthening more than 1 percent on strong bets Mexico's central bank could again hike interest rates. Minutes of the latest monetary policy meeting showed Mexico's central bank boa...Read More

FTSE 100 closes firmly lowerUS stocks higherBarclays shares jump on plans to restore dividendAttentions turn to Royal Bank of Scotland FTSE 100 closed down around 29 points at 7,252, despite US markets gaining ground after yesterday's sell-off.US traders appear to have embraced the idea of interest rate rises, which may take effect faster than previously thought."A further tightening of monet...Read More

(Compares with analyst estiamtes, adds details on Q4 results)Feb 22 (Reuters) - First Solar Inc reported a lower-than-expected loss in the fourth quarter on Thursday as the largest U.S. solar panel maker sold more solar modules to corporate and utility customers.However, the company's 2017 net sales missed its forecast and it lowered the gross margin outlook for 2018, sending the shares down 4.3...Read More

The President and CEO of Canada's Mandalay Resources (TSX:MND), Mark Sander, dubbed 2017 as a challenging year for his company.In a press release outlining Mandalay's unaudited 2017 fourth quarter and full-year financial results, Sander said that the company generated 12 per cent lower revenue last year compared to 2016. Suspension of production at its Cerro Bayo underground silver-gold complex in...Read More

The President and CEO of Canada's Mandalay Resources (TSX:MND), Mark Sander, dubbed 2017 as a challenging year for his company.In a press release outlining Mandalay's unaudited 2017 fourth quarter and full-year financial results, Sander said that the company generated 12 per cent lower revenue last year compared to 2016. Suspension of production at its Cerro Bayo underground silver-gold complex in...Read More

Are they? As usual, the FOMC minutes provoked diverse interpretations, both dovish and hawkish. Let’s analyze them, separating the wheat from the chaff. What do the recent minutes really mean for the gold market? Hawks Attack Bullion We have long warned investors about the hawkish treat. For example, as early as in the October edition of the Market Overview, we wrote that the Fed under Powel...Read More

(New throughout, adds chairman's comments on M&A, growth from investor presentation)By Susan TaylorTORONTO, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Barrick Gold on Thursday predicted lower gold production over the next decade, risking its rank as the world's biggest bullion producer, but executives insisted they will not make acquisitions simply to sate a call for growth.The Toronto-based company, whose output co...Read More

Russia has overtaken China as the fifth-biggest sovereign holder of gold, allowing it to diversify its foreign currency holdings amid a deepening rift with the U.S.Read full newsRead More

(Adds details, updates to close)TORONTO, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index closed marginally lower on Thursday as resource-related gains on a rise in commodity prices were offset by declines in consumer stocks after weak retail sales data, and investors digested a raft of corporate earnings reports.* The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index was down 15.84 points, or 0.1...Read More

NEW YORK, Feb 22 (Reuters) - U.S. fund investors inched back into the markets during the most recent week, putting $2.5 billion into bonds and $1.1 billion in stocks, Lipper data showed on Thursday.Domestic equity funds recorded a third week of withdrawals, with $4.6 billion flowing out in the seven days through Feb. 21. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Chris Reese) Disclaimer: The view...Read More

By Michelle NicholsUNITED NATIONS, Feb 22 (Reuters) - North Korea on Thursday accused United Nations Secretary-General Ant??nio Guterres of "picking a quarrel" with Pyongyang by praising international sanctions for putting pressure on the country over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.North Korea's U.N. mission said in a statement that Guterres had made "reckless remarks&qu...Read More

Ann SaphirVANCOUVER (Reuters) - Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Robert Kaplan said on Thursday that three U.S. interest-rate increases in 2018 is a “reasonable” base case, pushing back against the notion, floated by some on Wall Street, that more rate hikes may be needed.With the Fed likely to overshoot on its goal of full employment, and with progress toward the Fed’s 2-pe...Read More

Westhaven Ventures Inc. (TSX-V:WHN) is pleased to announce that ground geophysics has been completed on its 18,768 hectare Shovelnose gold property, located within the prospective Spences Bridge Gold Belt (SBGB), approximately 35 kilometres south of Merritt, British Columbia.Read full newsRead More

A dip in the 10-year Treasury yield helped bring stock buyers back to the market today, with the Dow spending most of the day deep in triple-digit-gain territory. In addition, breakup chatter from United Technologies (UTX) helped lift the blue-chip index. Traders continued to consider yesterday's Fed meeting minutes, as well as fresh rate-hike commentary from Fed President James Bullard. Elsewhere...Read More

Feb 23 (Reuters) - Australian shares are expected to gain at Friday's open, following a positive lead from Wall Street and higher oil prices.U.S. stocks advanced on Thursday, buoyed by gains in industrial and energy shares. Meanwhile, oil prices rose to two-week highs on Thursday, boosted by data showing a surprise draw-down in U.S. crude inventories and also by a drop in the dollar.Brent crude ga...Read More

Feb 22 (Reuters) - First Solar Inc reported a smaller quarterly loss on Thursday compared with a year ago when the largest U.S. solar panel maker took a one-time charge of $729 million.The company's net loss narrowed to $432.45 million, or $4.14 per share, in the fourth quarter ended Dec.31, from $750.79 million, or $7.22 per share, a year earlier. Net sales rose 2.5 percent to $339.18 million. (R...Read More

TORONTO, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index closed little changed on Thursday as strength in miners and energy companies offset losses in healthcare and consumer shares. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index ended the day 15.84 points, or 0.1 percent, lower at 15,508.17. (Reporting by Nichola Saminather; Editing by Peter Cooney) Disclaimer: The views expressed in this...Read More

Feb 23 (Reuters) - Stock MarketsNet ChngStock MarketsNet ChngS&P/ASX 200** 5,950.97.2 NZX 50**8,266.88 66.61DJIA**24,961.03163.25NIKKEI**21,736.44-234.37Nasdaq**7,210.086-8.142FTSE**7,252.39 -29.18S&P 500** 2,703.99 2.66Hang Seng** 30,965.68-466.21SPI 200 Fut 5,95036.00 STI** 3,488.46 -27.77SSEC**3,268.7305 69.57 KOSPI** 2,414.28 -15.37------------------------------------------------------...Read More