SEOUL, Jan 18 (Reuters) - South Korea's central bank held its key interest rate steady on Thursday, as expected, as it monitors the effects of its November hike.A Bank of Korea media official did not elaborate on the monetary policy committee's decision to keep the base rate at 1.50 percent. Governor Lee Ju-yeol is due to hold a news conference from 0220 GMT.All 17 analysts in a Reuters poll had f...Read More

* Australia's benchmark index snaps 2 straight sessions of losses* Financial stocks outperform other sectors on Wall Street rally* NZ on track for third straight session of gains Jan 18 (Reuters) - Australian shares inched higher on Thursday, led by financials, encouraged Wall Street's surge to a record close and by Bank of America's confidence that the new U.S. tax system would eventually benefi...Read More

(Adds comment from Apple CEO)By Stephen NellisJan 17 (Reuters) - Apple Inc will open a new campus as part of a five-year, $30 billion U.S. investment plan and will make about $38 billion in one-time tax payments on its overseas cash, one of the largest corporate spending plans announced since the passage of a tax cut signed by U.S. President Donald Trump.The company has been under increasing pres...Read More

* PREVIOUS TRADING SESSION MOVES:* SSEC +0.2 pct, CSI300 -0.2 pct, HSI +0.3 pct* Shanghai->HK daily quota used 25.5 pct* Shenzhen->HK daily quota used 12.2 pct* CNY official close 6.4335 per dollar* FTSE China A50 -0.1 pct, BNY Mellon ADR China Select Index +1.2 pct SHANGHAI, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Following is a list of recent corporate and policy announcements, as well as other news that migh...Read More

Another day, another dump for the dollar index...Read full newsRead More

Jan 18 (Reuters) - For other diaries, please see:Top Economic Events Polling Unit Diary Today in Washington Political and General News DATE COUNTRY AUCTION DETAILS18-Jan Japan 3-month discount bill auction18-Jan Japan Auction of 30-year government bonds18-Jan SwedenAuction of inflation-linked government bonds18-Jan Spain Bond auction18-Jan United KingdomAuction 0 3/4 % Treasury Gilt 202318-Jan Fr...Read More

LONDON, Jan 18 (Reuters) - A key gauge of British house prices unexpectedly picked up last month from its lowest level in more than four years, helped by a less negative tone in London and neighbouring areas.The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said on Thursday that its monthly house price index rose to +8 in December from zero in November, which had been its lowest reading since Ma...Read More

Jan 18 (Reuters) -For other diaries, please see:U.S. Federal Reserve Polling Unit Diary Today in Washington Political and General News -----------------------------------------------------------This Diary is filed daily. ** Indicates new events -----------------------------------------------------------THURSDAY, JANUARY 18 FRANKFURT - IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, ECB board member Benoi...Read More

(Updates prices, adds Mexico markets)SAO PAULO, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Brazil's benchmark Bovespa equities index registered strong gains on Wednesday, breaching the 81,000-point mark for the first time amid strong inflows of foreign capital and industry-related news that lifted some major stocks.In the first nine sessions of 2018, the Bovespa registered 3.584 billion reais ($1.11 billion) in inflows,...Read More

Nigerian militants threatened on Wednesday to attack off-shore oil facilities within days, raising fears of a repeat of a 2016 wave of violence that helped push Africa's biggest economy into recession.Read full newsRead More

New York, San Francisco and Oakland are suing oil companies for causing 'catastrophic harm.'Read full newsRead More

Oil's surge to $70 a barrel has left plants that process crude in Europe struggling, as their margins plunge and demand weakens for some of what they make.Read full newsRead More

Nigeria's oil militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), has vowed to launch a fresh round of attacks on the country's oil installations and facilities in the next few days The threat was made in a press statement signed by Major-General Murdoch Agbinibo, the group's spokesperson. The statement bore the apocalyptic headline "Happy doomed year, Nigeria", an indication of the NDA's fury.Re...Read More

By John McCrankNEW YORK, Jan 17 (Reuters) - The Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday approved a proposal from No. 2 U.S. stock exchange operator Cboe Global Markets Inc to compete for end-of-day orders for stocks listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Inc .The approval breaks what has effectively been a duopoly on the stock market close, one of the busiest and most lucrative t...Read More

(Adds Trump response, comments from cities)By Stephen NellisJan 17 (Reuters) - Apple Inc will open a new campus as part of a 5-year, $30 billion U.S. investment plan and will make about $38 billion in one-time tax payments on its overseas cash, one of the largest corporate spending plans announced since the passage of a tax cut signed by U.S. President Donald Trump.The company has been under incr...Read More

The leader of the American Petroleum Institute will leave the industry's top Washington lobbying group in August, after helping win new places to drill, expand markets for U.S. oil and defeat a Trump administration plan to subsidize coal-fired power plants.Read full newsRead More

Royal Dutch Shell Plc and BP Plc agreed annual deals to buy Libyan crude, underscoring how the North African country's recovering production and improving security are enticing some of the world's largest oil companies.Read full newsRead More

Last year set a unique and exciting stage for 2018 and beyond. Globally, a trend of misinformation and misuse of information has brought a new thirst for credible and trusted science. Our common fu...Read full newsRead More

A wave of looting by hungry mobs across Venezuela has left streets of shuttered shops in provincial towns and pushed some store owners to arm themselves with guns and machetes, stirring fear that the turmoil could spread to the capital Caracas.Read full newsRead More

The World Gold Council recently highlighted four gold market trends that are expected to impact the market as 2018 continues.Read full newsRead More