Market and Exchange

* Major equity indexes hit five-year peaks * China reports stronger-than-forecast April trade data * March German industrial output also beats estimates * Euro rises on German data, copper gains on China By Herbert Lash NEW YORK, May 8 (Reuters) -...

Summer gasoline prices will be lower in the U.S. than they were last year. But they won't be much lower, experts say, because U.S. refineries have been exporting record amounts of fuel overseas. That's behind what would normally just be a good news...

* Major equity indexes hit five-year peaks, Dow, S&P at record highs * China reports stronger-than-forecast April trade data * March German industrial output also beats estimates * Euro rises on German data, copper gains on China By Herbert Lash NEW...

TOKYO, May 9 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average is expected to rise to new five-year highs on Thursday buoyed by a record finish on Wall Street and the European market, while Toyota Motor Corp is likely to be in focus after reporting its full-year...

* Euro in favour after upbeat German factory data * Kiwi lifted by surprisingly strong jobs numbers * AUD eyes local employment and China inflation data By Ian Chua SYDNEY, May 9 (Reuters) - The euro held near a one-week high against the dollar and...

* MSCI Asia ex-Japan up 0.1 pct, Nikkei opens 0.6 pct higher * Euro steady vs dollar and yen By Chikako Mogi TOKYO, May 9 (Reuters) - Encouraging global data and Wall Street's extended record run underpinned Asian shares on Thursday, with Japanese...

SINGAPORE, May 9 (Reuters) - Gold edged down on Thursday, after rising more than 1 percent in the previous session, as speculators booked profits and investors cut their holdings on bullion exchange-traded funds to their lowest since early 2009....

(For full story, double-click ) SEOUL, May 9 (Reuters) - Following is the full text of statements released by South Korea's central bank in English after the Bank of Korea unexpectedly cut rates by 25 basis points to 2.50 percent on Thursday:...

By Pedro Nicolaci da Costa WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - With the U.S. inflation rate about half of the Federal Reserve's 2.0 percent target, the central bank is facing a major test and some experts wonder whether it will eventually need to ramp up its...

BERLIN (Reuters) - German industrial output unexpectedly jumped in March, fanning hopes that Europe's top economy is gaining traction after a disappointing end to 2012, despite concerns about other parts of the euro zone. Output jumped by 1.2 percent...

* FTSEurofirst 300 closes up 0.3 pct at 1,220.94 points * DAX up 0.9 pct at record closing high of 8,181.78 points * Euro STOXX 50 up 0.7 pct as banks lead market rally * Some traders see near-term pause to rally By Sudip Kar-Gupta LONDON, May 7...

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble signaled a softer stance on European banking union on Tuesday, saying that rather than waiting for a treaty change, governments should coordinate policies on closing banks. A banking union...