GLOBAL MARKETS-US stocks fall as Fed convenes; euro gains as Germany passes debt reform

*

Israeli strikes on Gaza revives Middle East tensions

*

Germany passes debt overhaul

*

Putin agrees to hold off targeting Ukrainian energy assets

*

Gold hovers above $3,000

By Stephen Culp

NEW YORK, March 18 (Reuters) - Wall Street veered sharply lower and gold surged to record highs on Tuesday as the U.S. Federal Reserve convened for its two-day monetary policy meeting while economic uncertainty mounted.

In the Middle East, a round of Israeli missile attacks on the Gaza Strip killed over 400 people, feeding investor jitters about that region.

But other geopolitical tensions eased after the Kremlin announced Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to a proposal from U.S. President Donald Trump to stop targeting Ukrainian energy targets for the next 30 days.

A vote by Germany's parliament to overhaul government spending caused the euro to waver, although it also sent European stocks higher and boosted German shares to near-record highs.

"The truth is Europe has lagged significantly in terms of economic growth and productivity," said Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group in Omaha. "With President Trump in the White House, Europe might be realizing that they might need to do some things more on their own to stimulate their economy."

All three major U.S. stock indexes were lower, with weakness in tech-related megacap stocks dragging the tech-laden Nasdaq down the most.

"The word of the year in 2025 has clearly been uncertainty," Detrick added. "And we have seen rotation out of the United States and into other areas around the globe."

"So today is almost a microcosm of the whole year."

The U.S. Federal Reserve has gathered for its two-day monetary policy meeting, which is expected to culminate in the central bank leaving its key interest rate unchanged until further inflation progress is made and the effects of Trump's erratic tariff policies are known.

A strong rebound in single-family housing starts and robust industrial output data provided some reassurance that the U.S. economy was not in danger of imminent recession.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 247.78 points, or 0.59%, to 41,593.85, the S&P 500 fell 59.27 points, or 1.04%, to 5,615.85 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 289.00 points, or 1.62%, to 17,519.66.

European shares edged higher and German stocks hovered near record highs as the German parliament approved a debt reform package to boost Europe's biggest economy.

So far this year, European stocks have outperformed their global counterparts.

Europe's broad FTSEurofirst 300 index rose 12.49 points, or 0.57%.

MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe fell 3.62 points, or 0.43%, to 839.88.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.61%, while Emerging market stocks rose 14.15 points, or 1.25%, to 1,145.59. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan closed higher by 1.19%, to 595.28, while Japan's Nikkei rose 448.90 points, or 1.20%, to 37,845.42.

Treasury yields fell as traders bet Fed Chair Jerome Powell will adopt a relatively dovish tone when he speaks at the conclusion of the central bank's policy meeting on Wednesday.

The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes fell 3.3 basis points to 4.274%, from 4.306% late on Monday. The 30-year bond yield fell 2.4 basis points to 4.5746% from 4.599% late on Monday.

The 2-year note yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations for the Federal Reserve, fell 1.9 basis points to 4.034%, from 4.053% late on Monday.

The dollar weakened while the euro gained ground in the wake of Germany's debt overhaul.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, fell 0.2% to 103.25, with the euro up 0.18% at $1.0941.

Against the Japanese yen, the dollar weakened 0.04% to 149.15.

The Mexican peso strengthened 0.1% versus the dollar at 19.944.

The Canadian dollar weakened 0.14% versus the greenback to C$1.43 per dollar.

In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin fell 2.76% to $81,654.04. Ethereum declined 2.78% to $1,881.95.

Crude oil prices turned lower after Russia-Ukraine peace talks helped counter concerns over instability in the Middle East.

U.S. crude fell 1.01% to settle at $66.90 per barrel, while Brent settled at $70.56 per barrel, down 0.72% on the day.

Gold prices touched a record high as the safe-haven metal benefited from a flare-up of geopolitical tensions and lingering uncertainties about Trump's tariff plans.

Spot gold rose 1.15% to $3,035.98 an ounce. U.S. gold futures rose 1.24% to $3,037.20 an ounce.

(Reporting by Stephen Culp; Additional reporting by Amanda Cooper in London and Tom Westbrook in Singapore; Editing by Jan Harvey, Nia Williams and David Gregorio)