Data boosts world stock index to new high; dollar falls

By Chuck Mikolajczak NEW YORK (Reuters) - A gauge of major world equity markets inched higher to a record for a second straight day on Thursday, lifted by a round of global data, while a drop in the dollar helped boost U.S. bond prices. MSCI's All-Country World index hit an intraday record of 444.94, although stocks on Wall Street dipped as the financial sector , down 0.1 percent, snapped a five-session winning streak and energy stocks slumped 1.4 percent.