By Rodrigo Campos
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nestle's jump to a record high boosted European stocks and helped buoy a global index, while the U.S. dollar index was close to recent lows and the U.S. yield curve flattened after soft capital goods data.
Stocks were volatile on Wall Street, with technology going from top gainer to top decliner in the course of the morning.
A massive trade in gold futures as Europe opened for trading dragged the contract to a six-week low.
European shares rose for the first session in four as banks rallied after Italy reached a deal to wind up two failed regional lenders. Nestle (S:NESN) jumped after an activist investor urged changes at the world's largest food company.
The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index (FTEU3) rose 0.41 percent and MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe (MIWD00000PUS) gained 0.25 percent.
Bank stocks (SX7P) rose after an agreement under which Italy's largest retail bank, Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP), will take on the remaining good assets of collapsed Popolare di Vicenza and Veneto Banca.
New orders for key U.S.-made capital goods unexpectedly fell in May and shipments also declined, suggesting a loss of momentum in the manufacturing sector halfway through the second quarter.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) rose 46.21 points, or 0.22 percent, to 21,440.97, the S&P 500 (SPX) gained 5.33 points, or 0.22 percent, to 2,443.63 and the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) added 0.42 points, or 0.01 percent, to 6,265.67.
Emerging market stocks rose 0.82 percent.
The U.S. dollar fell against the euro after the weaker-than-expected data, but buyers came in support of the greenback after it hit a more than one-week low.
The dollar index (DXY) rose 0.1 percent, with the euro
The Japanese yen weakened 0.34 percent versus the greenback at 111.65 per dollar, while sterling
U.S. crude
U.S. oil is still set for a near 20 percent drop in the first half of the year.
Investors in U.S. crude futures and options increased their bets against any future further rise in prices, as the number of U.S. oil rigs in operation hit its highest in over three years. [CFTC/] [RIG/U]
“U.S. production could jump to 10, maybe 10.5 million barrels a day by the end of the year, and when you add Libya, Nigeria and North Sea production that will negate the Saudi-led cuts," said Gene McGillian, manager of market research at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut. U.S. output has steadily grown to around 9.35 million barrels per day.
The rise in supplies threatens efforts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners to reduce global oil inventories with production cuts.
U.S. Treasury yields fell after the soft new capital goods orders data. The yield curve has flattened in the past month as Federal Reserve speakers including New York Fed President William Dudley have indicated further monetary policy tightening is likely even as economic data disappoints.
Benchmark 10-year notes (US10YT=RR) last rose 5/32 in price to yield 2.1283 percent, from 2.144 percent late on Friday.
The yield curve between five-year notes and 30-year bonds
“Inflation is the key,” said Thomas Simons, a senior money market economist at Jefferies in New York. “Until oil moves meaningfully higher and people start to get convinced that inflation is going to come back, this curve flattening is going to continue.”
Gold tumbled to its lowest price in nearly six weeks as a large sell order hit sentiment on Monday, though losses were limited by political uncertainty around the world.
The sale of 1.85 million ounces of gold and 5,000 ounces of silver in a short time was behind the fall in prices, said Afshin Nabavi, head of trading at MKS in Switzerland.
Spot gold
Copper
DAX board, at the stock exchange in Frankfurt" alt="© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Traders work in front of the German share price index, DAX board, at the stock exchange in Frankfurt" rel="external-image">