Gold Holds Gain as Weaker Retail Sales Hurt U.S. Growth Outlook

Gold held gains after rebounding from the lowest level in a month as falling retail sales in the U.S. cast doubt on the pace of growth in the world™s largest economy, boosting demand for a haven. Silver advanced. Bullion for immediate delivery traded at $1,224.34 an ounce at 8:53 a.m. in Singapore from $1,221.98 on Thursday, when it rebounded from $1,215.30, the lowest level since Jan. 9, according to Bloomberg generic pricing. The metal...

Dollar Slips as Retail-Sales Drop Limits Divergence From World

The dollar fell the most in nearly five months after a report showed retail sales dropped more than forecast, casting doubt on the pace of U.S. growth, which has been one of the few bright spots in the global economy. The Federal Reserve is considering when to raise interest rates amid a wave of global easing that™s seen more than 10 central banks add stimulus this year in an attempt to bolster growth. Sweden™s central bank became the...

Asian Stocks Rise With Won Amid Commodity Gains; Yen Holds Jump

Asian stocks climbed, fueling a second weekly jump for the regional benchmark after American equities jumped with commodity prices and a Ukraine cease-fire deal was forged. Emerging-market currencies rose as the yen held gains. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index advanced 0.6 percent by 9:31 a.m. in Tokyo, as mining and energy shares drove Australia™s S&P/ASX 200 Index toward its highest...

Japan Stocks Fluctuate Near Seven-Year High as Yen Rises on BOJ

Japanese stocks fluctuated, with the Topix index trading near a seven-year high, as the yen rose and investors weighed a report the central bank views further monetary easing as counterproductive for now. The Topix index added 0.1 percent to 1,450.57 as of 9:06 a.m. in Tokyo, swinging from a loss of 0.1 percent. The measure is heading for a fourth straight weekly gain after it closed yesterday at the highest since December 2007. The...

S&P 500 Climbs to Within Three Points of Record as Dollar Slumps

U.S. stocks jumped, pushing the Standard & Poor™s 500 Index to within three points of an all-time high as online travel firms jumped with Cisco Systems Inc. and optimism over the Ukraine cease-fire agreement boosted risk appetite. The dollar sank while Treasuries rallied with crude oil. The S&P 500 rose 1 percent to 2,088.48 by 4 p.m. in New York, close to the 2,090.57 record reached Dec. 29. Cisco™s 9.4 percent surge on better-than-estimated...