Weekend markets: Shares have best month this year

US blue-chip stocks posted their best monthly performance this year, climbing 4% in April and for the fifth successive month.

The US dollar had its worst month since September 2010 and gold its biggest monthly rise since November 2009.

On Wall Street, Caterpillar rose 2.5% as earnings and revenue blew past expectations, leading the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 47.23 points, or 0.37%, to 12,810.54.

Merck rose 0.5% after its results topped forecasts and Chevron rose 0.6% after its earnings jumped, boosted by higher oil prices and stronger refining margins.

Microsoft sank 4.3% after reporting a decline in sales of its Windows computer operating system.

The Nasdaq Composite Index edged up a point to 2873.54 while the S&P 500 index rose 0.2%, to 1363.61.

Other markets: Europe rises, Asia falls
European stock markets traded mildly higher amid lower volumes with London trading closed for the royal wedding.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index rose 0.3% to end at 283.78, giving it a 2.9% gain for April. It has advanced for four the past five months.

Germany’s DAX 30 index shook off early losses to rise 0.5% to 7514.46, its highest close since January 2008 and a 6.7% gain for April.

France’s CAC 40 index was little changed at 4106.92 but gained 3% for the month, its fourth monthly gain in the past five.

Asian markets mostly fell, with shares in Sydney dragged lower by worries that a strong Australian dollar would dent corporate earnings.

The S&P/ASX 200 dropped 1% to 4823.2, Korea's Kospi shed 0.7% to 2192.36, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped 0.4% to 23,720.81, Taiwan's Taiex lost 0.4% to 9007.87 and India's Sensex fell 0.8% to 19,135.96.

China's Shanghai Composite bucked the trend, edging 0.9% higher to finish at 2911.51, ending a five-session skid. Japanese markets were shut for a public holiday.

Commodities: Gold hits fresh high, oil rises
Gold futures in New York topped $US1550 an ounce as the US dollar continued to weaken. The May delivery contract rose $US25.20, or 1.6%, to settle at a record $US1556, its biggest monthly dollar and percent gain since November 2009.

The most actively traded contract, for June delivery, also settled $US25.20, or 1.6%, higher at $US1556.40.

Crude-oil futures prices settled at fresh 2½-year high, spurred by surging gasoline prices, which rose for a seventh day.

Nymex light, sweet crude oil for June delivery rose $US1.07, or 1%, to settle at $US113.93 a barrel. In April, that contract rose 6.8%, and oil futures are up 25% for the year to date.

Brent crude for June delivery ended 87USc, or 0.7%, higher at $US125.89 a barrel. The contract's price rose 7.3% in April.

Currencies: US dollar falls to fresh lows
The US dollar ended its worst month since September 2010, falling nearly 5% in four weeks.

Investors have turned increasingly pessimistic about the US, the Federal Reserve's ultra-loose monetary policy and growing concerns about the widening fiscal imbalance.

The euro was at $US1.4808 from $US1.4821 late on Thursday. The dollar traded at ¥81.10 from ¥81.54, while the euro was at ¥120.09 from ¥120.85.

The UK pound was at $US1.6696 from $US1.6636. The dollar bought 0.8656 Swiss franc from 0.8733 franc.