* Stocks gain as S&P 500 breaks through key level
* Gold sets new high, CRB commodity index at 8-month peak
* Bonds score slight gains before Fed meeting on Tuesday
* Dollar slips versus euro, yen ahead of Fed statement
(Updates with close of U.S. markets, adds byline)
By Herbert Lash and Walter Brandimarte
NEW YORK, Sept 20 (Reuters) - World stocks jumped as the
U.S. benchmark S&P 500 index broke above a key level on Monday,
lifted by optimism over corporate news, but the dollar slipped
on fears the struggling U.S. economy needs further stimulus.
The S&P 500 <.SPX> closed at a four-month high a day before
a meeting of the Federal Reserve in which policy-makers are
expected to renew a pledge to keep the Fed's portfolio from
shrinking yet not take new steps to ease monetary policy. For
details see: []
The dollar slipped broadly as investors positioned for the
possibility that Fed policy-makers may suggest the need to
inject more money into the U.S. economy.
The S&P 500 has been unable to make a sustained move above
1,130 level, which has been the upper end of a range that has
persisted since June. The index closed up 1.5 percent, almost
13 points above the resistance level.
The index's gains could be a shot in the arm if investors
are swayed to believe that September's rally of 8.9 percent by
the S&P has further to go.
"We've been waiting for this level to be penetrated, and
breaching it makes it hard to be too negative right now," said
Frank Gretz, market analyst and technician at Shields & Co in
New York.
IBM <IBM.N> was among the top boosts to the Dow after it
agreed to buy Netezza Corp <NZ.N> for $1.7 billion in the
latest in a string of large tech deals. Shares of IBM rose 1.2
percent to $131.78. []
Volume was light with about 7.16 billion shares traded on
the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange and
Nasdaq, below last year's daily average of about 9.65 billion.
The Dow Jones industrial average <> closed up 145.77
points, or 1.37 percent, at 10,753.62. The Standard & Poor's
500 Index <.SPX> was up 17.12 points, or 1.52 percent, at
1,142.71. The Nasdaq Composite Index <> was up 40.22
points, or 1.74 percent, at 2,355.83.
MSCI's All-Country World Index <.MIWD00000PUS> rose 1.3
percent, while the December futures contract for the Nikkei 225
stock index <0#NK:> trading in Chicago was down 10 points at
9,710.
Oil jumped 2 percent and sharp gains in cotton, corn and
soybeans helped boost the Reuters-Jefferies CRB <.CRB>
commodities index to eight-month highs. Gold extended record
highs for a third session in a row. []
U.S. crude for October <CLc1> delivery rose $1.20 to settle
at $74.86 a barrel. The October contract expires on Tuesday.
U.S. November crude <CLc2> closed up $1.27, or 1.7 percent,
at $76.19 a barrel. But the rally had little volume behind it,
with the number of contracts trading about 25 percent below the
average volume over the last 30 days, Reuters data showed.
ICE Brent for November <LCOc1> closed up $1.10 to $79.32.
The CRB index, which tracks commodity prices across 19
mostly U.S.-traded futures markets, soared to its highest level
since Jan. 20. []
Spot gold <XAU=> hit a record $1,283.70 an ounce, then
pared gains. U.S. gold futures for December delivery <GCZ0>
settled up $3.30 at $1,280.80 an ounce.
A weak dollar helps boost prices of commodities denominated
in the greenback, making them more attractive to users of
currencies such as the euro <EUR=> or yen <JPY=>.
The chance that the Fed may boost money supply, in a move
called quantitative easing, which would push benchmark yields
lower and hurt the return of U.S. dollar-assets -- highlighted
differences in policy among major central banks.
The Australian dollar hit a two-year high on hawkish
Reserve Bank of Australia comments.
"The consensus is that the Fed won't do anything tomorrow,
but if they indicate that more QE may be on the way, it would
send a strong signal to sell the dollar during the week," said
Kasper Kirkegaard, a currency strategist at Danske in
Copenhagen.
The dollar was down against major currencies, with the U.S.
Dollar Index <.DXY> down 0.12 percent at 81.318.
The euro <EUR=> was up 0.11 percent at $1.3059, and against
the Japanese yen, the dollar <JPY=> was down 0.16 percent at
85.70.
Prices of long-dated U.S. Treasuries rose before the Fed
meeting.
The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note <US10YT=RR> was up
10/32 in price to yield 2.71 percent.
(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica, Barani Krishnan, Nick Olivari,
Ellen Freilich, Robert Gibbons and David Sheppard; Writing by
Herbert Lash; Editing by Kenneth Barry)
