Dollar slips, aiding commods; global stocks gain

By Dominic Lau

LONDON (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar eased on Friday after overnight gains and euro zone growth data showed the region pulled out of recession, boosting metal and crude prices, while world stocks drifted higher.

The dollar .DXY rose overnight against a basket of currencies before succumbing to another sporadic bout of profit-taking, and traders said the currency's broad weakness was likely to continue over the longer term.

World stocks measured in the MSCI All-Country World Index .MIWD00000PUS put on 0.1 percent, lifted by a 0.3-percent rise in Europe's FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 index, though Japan's Nikkei average .N225 lost 0.4 percent.

U.S. stock index futures edged 0.3-0.4 percent higher, pointing to a firmer start on Wall Street.

The Dow Jones industrial average's .DJI six-day winning run came to a halt on Thursday, partly because a guarded outlook from Wal-Mart (WMT.N) fanned worries about consumer spending.

"It's encouraging to see that the euro zone has returned to growth in the third quarter," said RBS currency strategist Paul Robson.

"Data out of China has been robust and policymakers around the world have indicated that they will keep monetary policy loose, which is broadly supportive of higher-yielding and commodity-related currencies."

The euro zone economy jumped out recession in the third quarter, but with slightly less spring than expected after the area's top three economies fell short of market forecasts.