July 17 (Reuters) -

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** indicates closing price

All prices as of 1814 GMT

EQUITIES

GLOBAL - Markets turned volatile on Wednesday with equities losing steam, the dollar selling off sharply and gold prices spiking higher on a report that U.S. President Donald Trump is looking to fire the Federal Reserve chair, though investors pared back bearish bets when Trump said he was not planning to do so.

MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe .MIWD00000PUS fell 0.75 points, or 0.08%, to 919.50.

For a full report, click on MKTS/GLOB

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NEW YORK - U.S. stocks clawed back into positive territory on Wednesday after President Donald Trump swiftly denied reports of a Federal Reserve shakeup, calling it "highly unlikely" he would fire Chair Jerome Powell - just moments after reports suggested otherwise.

At 1:03 p.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 100.89 points, or 0.23%, to 44,124.18, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 7.89 points, or 0.13%, to 6,251.65 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC gained 18.29 points, or 0.09%, to 20,696.09.

For a full report, click on .N

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LONDON - European shares fell on Wednesday, with chip stocks hit hard after ASML flagged a hit to its revenue growth, while reports of U.S. President Donald Trump considering firing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell also hit sentiment.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX closed 0.6% lower, marking its fourth straight day of losses.

For a full report, click on .EU

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TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei share average ended flat on Wednesday, as concerns surrounding the elections to the upper house and the fate of trade negotiations with the United States overshadowed gains from chip-related shares.

The Nikkei .N225 inched 0.04% lower at 39,663.4.

For a full report, click on .T

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SHANGHAI - Mainland China stocks slipped on Wednesday as concerns lingered over trade relations with the U.S., while Hong Kong gave up earlier gains and ended lower after investors digested Nvidia's NVDA.O resumption of chip sales to China.

At the close, the Shanghai Composite index .SSEC was down 0.03% at 3,503.78 points, while the blue-chip CSI300 index .CSI300 was down 0.3%.

For a full report, click on .SS

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AUSTRALIA - Australian shares fell on Wednesday, led by banks and mining companies, after the latest U.S. inflation data indicated tariffs may be pushing prices higher, dampening hopes for near-term rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.

The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO ended the day 0.8% lower at 8561.8.

For a full report, click on .AX

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SEOUL - South Korean shares fell nearly 1% on Wednesday, tracking Wall Street's overnight losses on signs of a tariff impact in U.S. inflation data.

The benchmark KOSPI .KS11 closed down 28.90 points, or 0.90%, at 3,186.38.

For a full report, click on KRW/

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FOREIGN EXCHANGE

NEW YORK - The U.S. dollar pared a sharp earlier drop on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump denied news reports that he is planning to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

The dollar index =USD, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, was last down 0.19% on the day at 98.38, with the euro EUR= up 0.27% at $1.1629.

For a full report, click on USD/

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SHANGHAI - China's yuan held steady against the dollar on Wednesday, as a firmer-than-expected official midpoint offset the pressure from the U.S. currency's climb to a multi-week high on reduced bets for imminent Federal Reserve rate cuts.

The spot yuan CNY=CFXS opened at 7.1800 per dollar and was last trading at 7.1815 as of 0226 GMT, 5 pips lower than the previous late session close and 0.4% weaker than the midpoint.

For a full report, click on CNY/

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AUSTRALIA - The Australian and New Zealand dollars found support on Wednesday after losing ground to a broadly firmer U.S. dollar, with the Aussie managing to hit a fresh five-month top on a struggling Japanese yen.

The Aussie retreat almost 0.5% overnight to as low as $0.6508, before bouncing 0.2% to $0.6529 AUD=D3 in local trade.

For a full report, click on AUD/

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SEOUL - South Korean won strengthened against the dollar on Wednesday.

The won was quoted at 1,385.7 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform KRW=KFTC, 0.18% higher than its previous close at 1,388.2.

For a full report, click on KRW/

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TREASURIES

NEW YORK - Two-year U.S. Treasury yields tumbled in volatile trading on Wednesday but came off their lowest levels after President Donald Trump said he was not planning to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, refuting media reports that he planned to do so soon.

The benchmark 10-year yield US10YT=RR also rose but was last down 1.2 bps on the day at 4.477%.

For a full report, click on US/

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LONDON - Euro zone government bond yields were slightly lower on Wednesday as markets assessed U.S. inflation figures and took stock of the latest tariff developments.

The German 10-year yields DE10YT=RR, the euro area's benchmark, down less than 3 basis points to 2.684%, hovering just below a nearly four-month high of 2.737% scaled on Monday.

For a full report, click on GVD/EUR

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TOKYO - Japan's super-long government bonds rose on Wednesday, as investors bought back the bonds after a heavy selloff this week.

The 10-year JGB yield JP10YTN=JBTC rose to as high as 1.595%, and was last flat at 1.585%.

For a full report, click on JP/

COMMODITIES

GOLD

Gold prices jumped on Wednesday following news reports that U.S. President Donald Trump planned to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, but trimmed gains after Trump denied the claim.

Spot gold XAU= rose 0.9% to $3,352.49 per ounce, as of 1233 p.m. EDT (1633 GMT) after rising as much as 1.5% earlier.

For a full report, click on GOL/

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IRON ORE

Iron ore futures climbed on Wednesday, buoyed by strengthening ties between top producer Australia and leading consumer China, though gains were capped by concerns over persistent weakness in China's property sector.

The most-traded September iron ore contract on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) DCIOcv1 ended daytime trade 1.05% higher at 773 yuan ($107.70) a metric ton.

For a full report, click on IRONORE/

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BASE METALS

Copper prices slipped on Wednesday as supply disruption concerns eased and inventories continued their rise while the impact of U.S. tariffs remains uncertain.

Benchmark three-month copper CMCU3 on the London Metal Exchange eased by 0.2% to $9,626 a metric ton by 1610 GMT, down from a three-month peak just above $10,000 on July 2.

For a full report, click on MET/L

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OIL

Oil prices edged lower on Wednesday as U.S. fuel inventory builds and concerns about wider economic impact from U.S. tariffs outweighed some signs of stronger Chinese crude consumption.

Brent crude futures LCOc1 fell 24 cents, or 0.4%, to $68.47 a barrel by 1:36 p.m. ET (1736 GMT).

For a full report, click on O/R

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PALM OIL

Malaysian palm oil futures closed higher on Wednesday after gains in rival soyoil at Dalian and Chicago markets helped it recoup previous session's losses.

The benchmark palm oil contract FCPOc3 for October delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange gained 62 ringgit, or 1.49%, to 4,225 ringgit ($996.46) a metric ton at the close.

For a full report, click on POI/

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RUBBER

Japanese rubber futures rebounded on Wednesday, fuelled by supply shortage fears after top producer Thailand warned of possible flash floods, although sluggish global demand capped gains.

The Osaka Exchange (OSE) rubber contract for December delivery JRUc6, 0#2JRU: ended daytime trade up 3.5 yen, or 1.1%, at 320.5 yen ($2.16) per kg.

For a full report, click on RUB/T

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(Bengaluru Bureau; +91 80 6749 1130)