Global equity index dips, yields rise with inflation data in focus

By Sinéad Carew and Alun John

NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) -A global equities gauge fell slightly on Tuesday while U.S. Treasury yields rose to multi-week peaks as investors waited cautiously for inflation data due later in the week with hopes for clues on the outlook for U.S. interest rates.

U.S. Treasury yields gained ground after a weak auction. They had risen earlier after data showed U.S. consumer confidence unexpectedly improved in May amid optimism about the labor market after deteriorating for three consecutive months.

In addition, U.S. house price growth slowed sharply in March, likely as rising mortgage rates weighed on demand.

Equity investors were most focused on waiting for price data that is not due out until Friday. The Federal Reserve's preferred inflation barometer, the U.S. core Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index report, is expected to hold steady on a monthly basis for April.

"It's a holiday-shortened week so volume is likely to be pretty low all week. That's combined with the fact that markets are focused on one key data point due out Friday," said Gene Goldman, chief investment officer at Cetera Investment Management in El Segundo, California, referring to Monday's U.S. Memorial Day holiday.

"The market is anxiously sitting on the sidelines waiting to get confirmation that inflation is slowing towards the Fed's target," Goldman said.

MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe fell 1.28 points, or 0.16%, to 792.07.

Still, on Wall Street, the Nasdaq managed to rise past 17,000 level, and close above it for the first time as AI leader Nvidia hit a record high.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 216.73 points, or 0.55%, to 38,852.86, the S&P 500 gained 1.32 points, or 0.02%, to 5,306.04 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 99.09 points, or 0.59%, to 17,019.88.

Earlier Europe's STOXX 600 index closed down 0.6%.

In Treasuries, yields rose after two lackluster debt auctions raised doubts about demand for U.S. government debt while investors also digested the economic data, which fueled uncertainty about the Fed's monetary policy outlook.

"With $297 billion in nominal supply on Tuesday between coupons and bills, I think some indigestion is to be expected," said Tom Simons, U.S. economist at Jefferies in New York.

The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes rose 6.7 basis points to 4.54%, from 4.473% late on Friday, while the 30-year bond yield rose 7.9 basis points to 4.656%.

The 2-year note yield, which moves in step with interest rate expectations, rose 2.1 basis points to 4.9742%.

In currencies, the dollar index gave back earlier losses as Treasury yields rose and managed a slight gain.

"The bond market has turned around (on Tuesday) and the dollar with it," said Adam Button, chief currency analyst at ForexLive in Toronto, citing the weak auctions and noting that the improving consumer confidence report reflects "stronger growth."

The index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, gained 0.04% at 104.60, with the euro unchanged at $1.0858.

Against the Japanese yen, the dollar strengthened 0.18% at 157.14.

Oil prices gained more than $1 a barrel on the expectation that OPEC+ will maintain crude supply curbs at its June 2 meeting, while the start of U.S. summer driving season and a weaker dollar also boosted the commodity. [O/R]

U.S. crude futures settled up 2.71% at $79.83 a barrel while Brent settled at $84.22, up 1.35%.

Gold prices rose slightly, as spot gold gained 0.33% to $2,358.58 an ounce. U.S. gold futures gained 1.17% to $2,359.70 an ounce.

(Reporting by Sinéad Carew, Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss, Karen Brettell, Johann M Cherian, Lisa Pauline Mattackal, Alun John, Stella Qiu; Editing by Jacqueline Wong, Edwina Gibbs, Ana Nicolaci da Costa, Will Dunham, Alison Williams and Deepa Babington)