GLOBAL MARKETS-US dollar slips, stocks rebound on Fed statement

                                
 * US dollar slides to 3-year low after Fed statement
                                
 * Wall St higher after statement, press conference awaited
                                
 * U.S. bond prices add to losses after FOMC statement
                                
 * Fed signals no rush to scale back US economic support
 (Adds fresh prices)
                                
 By Al Yoon and Herbert Lash
                                
 NEW YORK, April 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar slid to a
three-year low against major currencies and world equity
markets edged higher on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve
signaled it would retain extensive support for the U.S.
economy.
                                
 Wall Street rebounded slightly and oil prices nudged up
after the Fed said in a statement that it believed the economic
recovery was proceeding at a moderate pace, with little risk an
inflationary psychology would take hold. For details see:
[ID:nN26291565]
                                
 The policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee said as
expected after a two-day meeting that it intends to complete
its $600 billion bond-buying program in June as scheduled.
                                
 "We did not expect any material surprises in the FOMC
statement and there was none. It remains quite dovish," said  
Bret Barker, a portfolio manager at TCW in Los Angeles.
                                
 "It could be argued they slightly downgraded growth and
maintained the view that inflation is 'transitory.' It was very
boilerplate," Barker said.
                                
 Following the FOMC statement investors awaited remarks by
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke who will speak starting at 2:15 p.m.
(1815 GMT) at his first-ever news conference on monetary
policy.
                                
 Gold rose by almost 1.0 percent and silver steadied after a
sharp sell-off the previous session, with both benefiting from
the Fed reiterating it would keep interest rates exceptionally
low. [ID:nLDE73Q0X7] Spot gold prices <XAU=> rose $13.14 to
$1,520.10 an ounce.
                                
 U.S. Treasuries fell as profit-taking on recent gains and
maneuvers to make room for five-year supply overshadowed the
Fed's perfunctory policy statement. [ID:nN27158782]
                                
 The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note <US10YT=RR> was
down 12/32 in price to yield 3.35 percent.
                                
 "FOMC statement is very similar to what we saw last time.
They were not going to throw any curve balls today," said John
Brady, senior vice president of global interest rate products
at MF Global in Chicago.
                                
 Bernanke's press conference also is unlikey to produce any
surprises.
                                
 "They want to establish this press conference as a
successful platform and one of the tools to communicate its
message if the market conditions necessitate. He will play it
right down the middle," he said.
                                
  Further gains on Wall Street were limited despite bullish
comments from General Electric <GE.N>, whose shares rose 3.2
percent after its finance chief said profit growth over the
next few years will be the fastest GE had seen in a decade.
[ID:nN27138550]
                                
 Recent U.S. stock gains have come on strong corporate
results, with about 75 percent of reported S&P companies
beating forecasts.
                                
 That trend continued on Wednesday, with Boeing Co <BA.N>,
Whirlpool Corp <WHR.N> and WellPoint Inc <WLP.N> all topping
analyst consensus expectations.
                                
 The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 48.55
points, or 0.39 percent, at 12,643.92. The Standard & Poor's
500 Index <.SPX> was up 2.48 points, or 0.18 percent, at
1,349.72. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 8.40
points, or 0.29 percent, at 2,855.94.
                                
 Strong corporate earnings in the technology and auto sector
also helped European shares, with an expected confirmation of
loose U.S. monetary policy adding to the bullish outlook.
[ID:nLDE73Q23H]
                                
 The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of top
shares closed 0.3 percent higher at 1,147.24 points.
                                
 In London, Brent crude <LCOc1> gained $1.09 to $125.23 a
barrel. U.S. crude <CLc1> gained 43 cents to $112.64 a barrel.
                                
 "Since the Fed is ignoring inflationary pressures, it
suggests further downside pressure on the dollar, which would
translate into higher commodity prices," said Tom Knight,
trader at Truman Arnold in Texarkana, Texas.
                                
 The Fed's super-loose interest rate policy remains a source
of trouble for the dollar, which has lost 10 percent of its
value against major currencies since a January peak.
[ID:nN27156355]
                                
 The euro was up 0.49 percent at $1.4714 <EUR=>, its highest
since December 2009. It was at $1.4665 prior to the Fed
statement.
                                
(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica, Richard Leong in New York;
Harpreet Bhal Alex Lawler, Amanda Cooper in London; Writing by
Herbert Lash)