GLOBAL MARKETS-Bond yields fall, stocks rise as oil prices fall; The yen jumped after the reported Japanese currency intervention

* Brent falls after reaching four-year high

* The ECB and BoE are both holding rates in Europe

* Global bond yields are falling

* Apple results will be available later Thursday on Wall Street (Updates until noon)

NEW YORK/LONDON, April 30 (Reuters) – Global bond yields fell and major stock indexes gained on Thursday as oil prices fell from four-year highs, while the yen jumped after Japanese authorities reportedly intervened in foreign exchange markets to support their currency.

US crude fell 2.02% to $104.72 a barrel and Brent fell to $114.03 per barrel, down 3.39% on the day.

Iran has said it will respond with “long and painful strikes” on US positions if Washington renews the attack, and has reasserted its control of the Strait of Hormuz, complicating US plans for the coalition to reopen the waterway. The ECB and the Bank of England kept rates steady. On Wednesday, there was a change in tone from the Federal Reserve as it left rates unchanged. Three members of the U.S. central bank’s board voted to withdraw bias from the policy statement in the most divisive decision since 1992.

“Yields are slowing because the price of oil is going down. That’s helping stocks, and some of the earnings reports were positive,” said Peter Cardillo, chief economist at Spartan Capital Securities in New York.

Technology-related gains were particularly strong, with Alphabet shares rising sharply following a record quarter for its cloud unit.

Profits from iPhone maker Apple will be needed after the closing bell.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq were about to end April with their biggest gains since 2020.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 669.39 points, or 1.37%, to 49,530.40, the S&P 500 rose 30.40 points, or 0.43%, to 7,166.35 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 12.65 points, or 6.5 to 50.

MSCI’s index of global shares rose 5.36 points, or 0.50%, to 1,072.92.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 1.38%.

The US dollar fell sharply against the yen after Japanese authorities reportedly intervened in foreign exchange markets to support their currency.

Officials stepped in to buy the yen, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, after it hit its strongest against the dollar since July 2024.

The dollar fell nearly 3% against the yen to 155.5 yen, marking its biggest one-day decline since late December 2024. It was last down 2.36% at 156.51 yen. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar ended up 2.38% lower at 156.57.

The yield on benchmark US ⁠10-year notes fell 1.8 basis points to 4.398%, from 4.416% late Wednesday.

The UK 2-year yield is back below 4.5%, while the German 2-year – sensitive to near-term ECB rate changes – looks set to take an eight-day run of gains.

The previous day’s volatility in oil prices was more than 10 points. Brent ended at $113.5 a barrel and was down about 4% from as high as $126.41 overnight. It is almost double the amount at which it started the year. On Wednesday, outgoing Chairman Jerome Powell confirmed that he will continue to serve as governor for the time being to protect the agency’s independence as his successor Kevin Warsh, a low-ranking appointee of US President Donald Trump, nears confirmation.

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