U.S. Stocks Rebound From 5-Day Drop on Data Before Fed Minutes

The Standard & Poor™s 500 Index rose the most in three weeks, halting a five-day slump, as data showed the economy continues to strengthen before the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve™s latest meeting. Stocks extended gains as lawmakers in Chancellor Angela Merkel™s coalition said Germany is leaving the door open to debt-relief talks with Greece™s next government, signaling a more flexible stance than her administration...

Crude Retreats After Government Data Shows U.S. Fuel Supply Gain

West Texas Intermediate oil pared gains after a government report showed that U.S. fuel stockpiles surged. Brent earlier slipped below $50 a barrel for the first time since May 2009. Inventories of distillate fuel, a category that includes heating oil and diesel, increased by a record 11.2 million barrels last week, the Energy Information Administration said. Gasoline stockpiles advanced 8.12 million barrels while crude supplies decreased...

Asian Futures Follow U.S. Stock Rebound Amid Economic Optimism

Asian index futures climbed amid a rebound in U.S. stocks as data fueled optimism over the American economy and after Federal Reserve meeting minutes confirmed the outlook for interest rates. Australian bonds retreated. Futures on gauges from Japan to Hong Kong advanced at least 0.3 percent as consumer and health-care stocks drove the Standard & Poor™s 500 Index higher for the first time in six days. The greenback held gains, trading...

Gold Drops as Fed Minutes Support Speculation on Rate Increase

Gold prices fell after the Federal Reserve signaled it™s on course for the first interest-rate increase since 2006, boosting the dollar and eroding demand for the metal as an alternative asset. A rout in oil prices and the dollar™s rally against major currencies in the past six months crimped demand for gold. In 2014, the precious metal posted a consecutive annual decline for the first time since 1998 as gains in the U.S. economy...

U.S. Stocks Rally Most in Three Weeks After Five-Day Selloff

The Standard & Poor™s 500 Index rallied the most in three weeks, halting a five-day selloff, as data stoked optimism on the economy and Federal Reserve minutes did little to change investor expectations on interest rates.The S&P 500 jumped 1.2 percent to 2,025.76 at 4 p.m. in New York, after plunging 4.2 percent over the previous five days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 211.02 points, or 1.2 percent, to 17,582.66. Trading...