Global markets: Dollar, stocks gain on U.S. economic outlook

By Herbert Lash

NEW YORK (Reuters) - World stock markets climbed on Monday, lifted by optimism over the outlook for corporate earnings and U.S. President Donald Trump's tax reform plan, while the dollar gained as investors took a bullish view of the American economy.

The three major U.S. stock indices were poised to close at record highs, boosted by financials and healthcare stocks.

Spanish borrowing costs rose and stocks fell as a violent police crackdown on an independence vote in Catalonia rattled investors, but major European bourses gained on travel stocks and a mining sector helped by higher metals prices.

U.S. manufacturing surged amid strong gains in new orders and raw material prices, while rebounding construction spending in August bolstered the economic outlook even as Hurricanes Harvey and Irma are expected to dent third-quarter growth.

The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said its index of U.S. factory activity rose to a reading of 60.8 last month, the highest reading since May 2004, from 58.8 in August.

The dollar was last up 0.64 percent against the euro at $1.1736 and up 0.20 percent against the yen at 112.70 . The euro was also hurt after the voting in Catalonia fuelled anxiety over political risk in the euro zone. The crisis could deepen further if the Catalan regional parliament uses the vote as justification for a unilateral declaration of independence.

"It is clear that risks to government stability are increasing," said Federico Santi, an analyst at Eurasia Group in London, referring to reports of nearly 900 injured in the clashes with police.

Many analysts said Spain's economy could slow though they expect the crisis to be resolved with an offer of more autonomy.

The pan-regional FTSEurofirst 300 index <.FTEU3> of leading European companies rose 0.51 percent to close at 1,532.50, and MSCI's gauge of stock performance in 47 countries <.MIWD00000PUS> gained 0.17 percent.

On Wall Street, the three key stock indexes ground higher to record intraday highs.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average <.DJI> rose 139.36 points, or 0.62 percent, to 22,544.45. The S&P 500 <.SPX> gained 8.39 points, or 0.33 percent, to 2,527.75 and the Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> added 14.26 points, or 0.22 percent, to 6,510.21.

"Investors are trying to get in front of earnings that are expected to be pretty good and there's still some optimism over corporate tax relief," Rick Meckler, president of hedge fund LibertyView Capital Management LLC in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Third-quarter earnings are expected to increase 6.2 percent from a year earlier, according to Thomson Reuters research. Excluding energy, earnings growth is estimated at 4.3 percent.

Oil fell to hover near $56 as a rise in U.S. drilling and higher output from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries halted a rally that helped prices to register their biggest third-quarter gain in 13 years.

U.S. energy companies added oil rigs for the first week in seven and Iraq announced its exports rose slightly in September while OPEC overall boosted output, a Reuters survey showed. [OPEC/M]

Brent settled down 67 cents at $56.12 a barrel and U.S. crude fell $1.09 to settle at $50.58.

Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury notes fell 3/32 in price to yield 2.3372 percent.

U.S. gold futures for December delivery settled down $9 at $1,275.80 per ounce.

U.S. gold futures fell 0.62 percent to $1,276.80 an ounce, while copper rose 0.27 percent to $6,498.50 a tonne. [MET/L]

(Additional reporting by Wayne Cole in Sydney, Jemima Kelly, John Geddie and Claire Milhench in London; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Chizu Nomiyama)

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