* Aussie dlr hits 29-yr high; gold hits record
* Dollar index rises, but near last week's 3-yr low
* South Korean shares edge up, hits another all-time high
* Dollar/yen up on Japan importer bids, traders eye stops
(Update prices)
By Masayuki Kitano
SINGAPORE, April 25 (Reuters) - The Australian dollar hit a
fresh 29-year high and South Korea's benchmark index touched
another record intraday high on Monday, suggesting investors
were still eager to embrace risk and higher-yielding assets.
Commodities pushed higher with gold hitting a record high
of$1,513.70 an ounce and U.S. silver futures <SIcv1>
scaling a 31-year peak.
The dollar rose 0.3 percent against a basket of currencies
to 74.197 , but remained within sight of a trough of
73.735 struck last week, its lowest since August 2008.
The dollar climbed 0.5 percent against the yen to
82.24 yen, supported by dollar-buying by Japanese importers and
as traders took aim at stop-loss dollar buying orders said to be
lurking near 82.50 yen.
"The market is thin today because London is closed today,
and people are basically just trying to trigger stops," said a
trader at a Japanese bank.
In the stock market, South Korea's benchmark stock index
clawed above a peak scaled last week and hit another record
intraday high. The benchmark index was last up 0.7 percent at
2213.57 , having risen to as high as 2215.44 earlier.
Tokyo shares dipped 0.1 percent , but gains in
shippers helped temper its fall.
Japan's Nikkei business daily on the weekend reported that
earnings sharply rebounded at three major marine transport
companies in the year that ended on March 31.
Mitsui OSK Lines rose 1.6 percent to 459 yen,
Nippon Yusen gained 2.0 percent to 306 yen and Kawasaki
Kisen added 1.5 percent to 280 yen.
"The shippers' gains are straightforward. The expectations
for good results reflect strong demand in the global economy and
they suffered relatively little damage from the March
earthquake," said Naoki Fujiwara, a fund manager at Shinkin
Asset Management.
The Australian dollar, which tends to attract buying when
the global economy is doing well and commodity prices rise,
touched a 29-year high of $1.0777 . It later trimmed its
gains to stand at $1.0712, down 0.2 percent on the day.
U.S. crude futures rose as violence in Syria and Yemen
escalated over the weekend, stirring fears of supply disruptions
from the Middle East and North Africa.
NYMEX crude for June delivery <CLc1> edged up 42 cents a
barrel to $112.71.
Trading across asset markets may be lighter than usual on
Monday, with markets in Australia and Hong Kong closed for a
holiday. Markets in London will also be shut for a holiday.
(Additional reporting by Ayai Tomisawa and Hideyuki Sano in
Tokyo; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
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