Oil Slides as U.S. Crude Inventories Head for Record Growth

Oil fell as U.S. crude stockpiles expanded last week, adding to the country’s biggest-ever annual growth. Inventories rose 2.63 million barrels, capping an expansion of more than 100 million barrels this year, the most in EIA data going back to 1920. A 2.5 million-barrel drop was projected in a Bloomberg survey. Supplies in Cushing, Oklahoma, the delivery point for West Texas Intermediate crude, climbed to a record. Crude output rose...

Gold Fund Sales Resume as Prices Fall for Third Straight Day

Investors resumed sales from gold-backed funds as traders increased expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates again in March. Bullion futures posted a third straight decline. Holdings in gold exchange-traded products fell 0.9 metric ton on Tuesday to erase gains made the previous day, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Assets have declined 10 times in the last 12 sessions to 1,466.3 tons, near the lowest in more...

U.S. Stocks Fell From Three-Week High, Paring S&P 500 2015 Gain

U.S. stocks fell, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index struggling to hold its gain for the year in 2015’s penultimate session, as energy companies followed oil lower and a slide in Apple Inc. weighed on technology shares. The S&P 500 slipped 0.7 percent to 2,063.30 at 4 p.m. in New York, after rallying 1.1 percent Tuesday to the highest since Dec. 4. A late selloff today halted at the gauge’s average price during the past 200...

U.S. Stocks Slip From Three-Week High, Paring S&P 500 2015 Gain

U.S. stocks fell, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index struggling to hold its gain for the year in 2015’s penultimate session, as energy shares followed oil lower and a slide in Apple Inc. weighed on technology shares. Chevron Corp. and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. sank at least 1.2 percent, amid reports showing crude stockpiles increased. Apple lost 1.1 percent after a person familiar with the matter said it paid $348 million...

Europe Stocks Decline From 3-Week High Amid Thin Trading Volume

European stocks fell on the last full trading day of the year as a slide in oil prices weighed on investor sentiment. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index lost 0.5 percent at the close of trading, after yesterday’s 1.4 percent gain. The volume of shares changing hands was 40 percent lower than the 30-day average. Markets will shut on Friday for New Year. Some including Germany, Switzerland and Italy, will also close tomorrow for New Year’s Eve,...

Oil Advances as U.S. Crude Stockpiles Seen Falling, Easing Glut

Crude climbed as traders counted on another week of declines in U.S. crude inventories to help ease the glut that’s pushed prices below $40 a barrel. Futures rose 2.9 percent in New York, paring Monday’s 3.4 percent slide. U.S. crude stockpiles probably fell a second week, according to a Bloomberg survey before government data Wednesday. Prices rebounded despite Saudi Arabia’s planned cuts to 2016 spending that are based on a Brent...

Gold Ends Little Changed as Stocks and Oil Surge

Gold futures ended little changed Tuesday, kept in check by a rally in a global stocks and a strengthening dollar. February gold ended 30 cents, or less than 0.1%, lower at $1,068 an ounce. The metal is on track for a 0.3% gain for December but remains down 9.8% since the end of 2014. Gold was marginally higher earlier in the session but succumbed to pressure from surging stocks which were underpinned by a rebound in crude-oil prices. Advances ...

Japanese Shares Rise With Topix Headed for Fourth Year of Gains

Japanese shares rose, with the Topix index poised to end the year with its fourth straight gain, as equities tracked a rally in the U.S. and Europe. The Topix rose 0.5 percent to 1,551.59 as of 9:01 a.m. in Tokyo on the final trading day of the year, with all but one of the 33 industry groups advancing. The measure is heading toward a 10 percent gain for 2015, adding to a 93 percent increase over the past three years. For the quarter,...

S&P 500 Restores 2015 Gain as U.S. Stocks Gain Toward Year End

U.S. stocks rose, restoring the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index’s gain for the year and nearly erasing a monthly decline as retailers and technology shares led a rally in light trading. The S&P 500 advanced 1.1 percent to 2,078.27 at 4 p.m. in New York, rising to a three-week high. Tuesday’s activity was a reflection of the year, with investors piling into the three top-performing S&P 500 industry groups in 2015 -- consumer discretionary,...

U.S. Stocks Rose as S&P 500 Restores 2015 Gain Near Year End

U.S. stocks rose, restoring the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index’s gain for the year and paring a monthly decline as retailers and technology shares rallied in light trading. Amazon.com Inc. paced gains among retailers for a second day, rising 2.6 percent to a record in post-holiday trading that was 38 percent below the 30-day average for this time of day. Kohl’s Corp. and Target Corp. increased more than 2.5 percent. Pep Boys added...

Gold Falls as Investors Zero In on Outlook for Inflation

Gold dropped for the third time in four sessions as the outlook for low U.S. inflation cut demand for the metal as a store of value. Gains for consumer prices remain tepid, a government report showed last week. While inflation hasn’t reached the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent goal since April 2012, policy makers in December raised interest rates for the first time in almost a decade as the labor market improved. Higher rates coupled with...

Oil Falls From 3-Week High as Iran Says Exports Priority

Oil dropped from a three-week high as Iran repeated its goal of boosting crude exports after sanctions on the nation are lifted. Futures slipped 3.4 percent in New York. Iran’s priority is to boost shipments to pre-sanction levels, Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said, according to the state-backed IRNA news agency. Commodities tumbled amid fresh concerns about Chinese economic growth as the Shanghai Composite Index fell the most in...

Japan Stocks Decline After Monday Gain as Commodity Shares Slip

Japanese shares fell, with the Topix index dropping from its biggest gain in two weeks, as commodities shares led losses following a decline in U.S. stocks. The Topix index slipped 0.3 percent to 1,524.84 as of 9:09 a.m. in Tokyo, with 26 of the 33 industry groups falling. The measure posted its biggest gain since Dec. 17 on Monday on the lowest turnover in a year. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 0.3 percent to 18,824.74....

U.S. Stocks Slip With Crude Weighing on Energy as Year-End Looms

Gains in Amazon.com Inc. and Walt Disney Co. helped U.S. stocks mute declines led by energy shares, as the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index struggled to advance for the year entering the final trading days of 2015. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2 percent to 2,056.55 at 4 p.m. in New York, as the gauge in afternoon trading whittled down an earlier 0.8 percent decline. This week is shortened, with markets closed for the New Year’s Day holiday...

U.S Stocks Fall With Crude Weighing on Energy as Year-End Looms

U.S. stocks declined to begin their final trading days of 2015, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index struggling to advance for the year, as commodity shares tracked a retreat in oil following crude’s strongest weekly gain in four months. Energy companies resumed their role as the market’s worst performers after a one-week reprieve, with Chevron Corp. and Marathon Oil Corp. dropping at least 1.8 percent. Copper producer Freeport-McMoRan...

Dollar Poised for First Monthly Decline Since August Versus Euro

The dollar is on pace for the first monthly decline since August as investors bet the Federal Reserve will wait until at least April to raise interest rates again after last week’s liftoff from near zero. Hedge funds reduced futures bets for a second week that the dollar will advance against the 19-nation currency, in the last positioning data available before the U.S. central bank raised its target for the first time in almost a decade...

Brent Oil Slides to 11-Year Low as Producers Seen Worsening Glut

Brent crude slumped to the lowest since mid-2004 amid speculation suppliers from the Middle East to the U.S. will exacerbate a glut as they fight for market share. Futures fell 1.4 percent in London after a 2.8 percent drop last week. Producers are focusing on reducing costs amid the price decline, Qatar Energy Minister Mohammed Al Sada said Sunday at a gathering of Arab oil-exporting nations in Cairo. Drillers in the U.S. put...

U.S. Stocks Rise From Lowest Since October Following 2-Day Rout

U.S. stocks surged in the final minutes of trading, rebounding after the biggest two-day rout in three months as financial and technology companies paced a climb from equities’ lowest levels since October. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index gained 0.8 percent to 2,021.21 at 4 p.m. in New York, during a session that saw the gauge erase an early 0.9 percent climb. Investors have wavered between optimism on the U.S. economy and concern...

U.S. Stocks Fluctuate as Energy Shares Slip, Bank Rally Fades

U.S. stocks fluctuated after erasing a rebound from two-month lows, as weakness in crude oil weighed on energy shares and a rally among banks faded. The KBW Bank Index wiped out a gain of as much as 1.3 percent, on the heels of the measure’s worst two-day drop since August. Energy companies slumped as Brent crude oil fell to an 11-year low. Walt Disney Co. slipped 1 percent, falling for a third day despite a record weekend at the box...

European Stocks Reverse Gains, Falling With Spain IBEX 35

Declines in energy shares dragged lower European equities that have managed to stay afloat most of the day despite plunges in Spanish equities. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index dropped 0.3 percent at 4 p.m. in London, erasing an advance of as much as 0.8 percent. Spain’s IBEX 35 Index dropped 2.7 percent, set for its biggest plunge in three months, after the nation’s prime minister lost his majority in an inconclusive weekend election. The ...

Dollar Rises Against Yen as Fed Rate Increase Outlook Holds

The dollar gained against the yen, bolstered by the outlook for more U.S. interest-rate increases as markets began winding down before the year-end holidays. A gauge of the dollar climbed 0.7 percent last week, the biggest gain since the start of November, after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time since 2006. Futures show the odds of an April rate hike increased to 50 percent. The euro was little changed as...

Saham Jepang Terkoreksi Ditengah Penguatan Yen Redupkan Eksportir

Saham Jepang mengikuti penurunan ekuitas AS setelah yen naik terhadap dolar, meredupkan prospek pendapatan sektor eksportir, dan minyak mentah melanjutkan kemerosotannya. Indeks Topix turun dengan 0,5% menjadi 1,529.02 pada 09:01 pagi di Tokyo, setelah mencatat penurunan mingguan keempat beruntun pada hari Jumat. Indeks Nikkei 225 Stock Average turun 0,6% menjadi 18,873.93. Yen diperdagangkan pada 121,30 per dolar setelah penguatan...

Asian Stocks Set to Follow U.S. Rout as Haven Yen Holds Advance

Asian stocks looked set to track Friday’s retreat in U.S. equities, with the safe-haven yen holding most of its biggest gain in more than a week amid a rout in the price of oil. Shares in New Zealand declined 0.2 percent, while futures on indexes from Tokyo to Sydney signaled losses after U.S. stocks tumbled on Friday to their lowest closing level in two months. The euro was little changed while Spanish government bonds may weaken on...

Gold Slumps Most Since March as U.S. Rate Increase Boosts Dollar

Gold posted its biggest loss since March after the Federal Reserve’s first interest-rate increase in almost a decade strengthened the dollar, curbing the appeal of owning precious metals. The U.S. central bank on Wednesday unanimously voted to raise borrowing costs by a quarter of a percentage point. Higher rates reduce the attractiveness of holding bullion, which doesn’t pay interest or give returns like assets such as bonds or equities. Gold...

Oil Nears Lowest Since 2009 After U.S. Supply Glut Expands

Oil neared the lowest level since February 2009 as U.S. crude inventories surged and the Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time in almost a decade. Futures fell as much as 2.5 percent in New York after Wednesday’s 4.9 percent decline. U.S. stockpiles climbed to 490.7 million barrels last week, the highest level for this time of year since 1930, the Energy Information Administration reported yesterday. Goldman Sachs...

U.S. Stocks Erase Post-Fed Rally, Commodity Shares Lead Retreat

U.S. stocks dropped, ending the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index’s three-day rally, as investors moved past the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate increase and returned their focus to weakness in commodities and prospects for global growth. A stronger dollar in the wake of the Fed’s move weighed on energy and raw-material shares, as crude tumbled below $35 a barrel. General Mills Inc. sank 3.3 percent after its quarterly results missed estimates,...

U.S. Stocks Decline After Rally as Commodity Shares Lead Retreat

U.S. stocks declined following the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index’s longest winning streak since October, as investors moved past the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate increase and returned their focus to weakness in commodities and prospects for global growth. A stronger dollar in the wake of the Fed’s move weighed on energy and raw-material shares, while crude oil fell for a second day. Cereal maker General Mills Inc. sank 3.3 percent...

Exporters Lead European Stock Rally as Fed Delivers on Rate Rise

Exporters and financial companies led a rally in European stocks after the Federal Reserve fulfilled investor expectations by raising rates for the first time in almost a decade. Investec Plc and Man Group Plc rose at least 3.6 percent, while carmakers Volkswagen AG and Daimler AG advanced 3.3 percent or more. Germany’s DAX Index was among the best performers in western Europe, up 2.6 percent. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index climbed 1.2...

Crude Tumbles as U.S. Supply Surges Amid Output, Import Gains

Oil tumbled after U.S. crude inventories climbed to the highest level for this time of year since 1930. Crude supplies rose to 490.7 million barrels, leaving stockpiles more than 120 million barrels above the five-year seasonal average, government data showed. The discount of crude in New York to global marker Brent earlier dropped to an 11-month low amid expectations that a 40-year-old ban on most American crude exports will be lifted....

Gold, Metals Gain After Policy Makers Raise U.S. Interest Rates

Gold maintained gains after the Federal Reserve boosted U.S. interest rates for the first time since 2006 while signaling that the pace of subsequent increases will be “gradual.” Silver and copper also held on to earlier increases. The Federal Open Market Committee unanimously voted to set the new target range for the federal funds rate at 0.25 percent to 0.5 percent, up from zero to 0.25 percent. Most metals are headed for an annual...

U.S. Stocks Rally Amid First Fed Interest-Rate Boost Since 2006

U.S. stocks rallied as the Federal Reserve ended seven years of near-zero interest rates, and assured investors that the world’s largest economy is resilient enough to withstand future increases in borrowing costs at a gradual pace. Equities extended gains following the central bank’s move, pushing the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index’s biggest three-day rally since Oct. 5 as the benchmark rebounded from its worst weekly drop since August....

European Stocks Rise, Paring Gains in Countdown to Fed Decision

Investors pushed European stocks higher for a second day before the Federal Reserve’s much-awaited interest-rate decision, though equities pared gains in the last hour of trading. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index climbed 0.2 percent at the close of trading in London, trimming an advance of as much as 1 percent. Anglo American Plc led an advance in miners, up for the first time in 12 days. Energy producers, leading the rally earlier, ended...

U.S. Stocks Edge Higher for Third Day Before Fed Rate Decision

U.S. stocks climbed for a third day as investors await what is widely expected to be the first Federal Reserve interest-rate increase in almost a decade. Leadership shifted Wednesday as crude oil retreated and energy slumped after two sessions out in front. Industrials paced early gains, with Honeywell International Inc. up 4.5 percent after its 2016 earnings forecast beat some analysts’ estimates. Homebuilders rose after housing starts...

European Shares Rally Most in 10 Weeks Before Fed Rate Decision

European stocks rallied the most since Oct. 5 as investors bet that the U.S. economy is strong enough to cope with the Federal Reserve’s expected first interest rate increase in almost a decade. Tullow Oil Plc helped push energy companies to the best performance of the 19 industry groups on the Stoxx Europe 600 Index after the successful exploration of a well increased the potential size of oil resources in Kenya. Total SA and Royal...

Oil Extend Gain From Six-Year Low as U.S. May Lift Export Ban

Crude climbed a second day after tumbling to a six-year low amid signs the U.S. may allow unfettered exports for the first time in 40 years. West Texas Intermediate rose as much as 4.3 percent, adding to Monday’s 1.9 percent gain amid a broader rally of U.S. and European stocks. House Democrats are open to lifting the ban on American crude exports if they get adequate concessions in exchange, a Democratic leadership aide said Monday....

Dollar Climbs Before Feds Interest-Rate Decision as Bonds Fall

The dollar climbed versus the euro and yen as bond yields rose before the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate decision Wednesday. The greenback gained as U.S. two-year yields reached the highest level since May 2010 after a report showed core inflation rose in November for a third month. A measure of price swings in the foreign-exchange market accelerated to close to the most this month. With...

U.S. Stocks Rally With Crude Oil for Second Day as Fed Gathers

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index capped its first back-to-back gains in more than a month as energy companies led a rally with crude oil, while Federal Reserve officials started a two-day meeting at which they are widely expected raise interest rates for the first time since 2006. Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp. gained more than 3.8 percent, taking their two-day advances to more than 6.8 percent. Financial shares increased as ...