Oil Falls to 6-Year Low as Dollar Weakens; China Shares Rally

Oil touched its lowest level since 2009 amid increased projections for U.S. production, while the dollar weakened from strongest level in more than a decade before this week’s Federal Reserve meeting. Chinese shares rose as the government vowed to support economic expansion. West Texas Intermediate crude dropped 1.1 percent to $44.35 a barrel by 3:20 p.m. in Tokyo, after earlier falling to as low as $43.57. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot...

Aust dollar weakens, nears US76c

The Australian dollar is weaker as a decline in American consumer confidence fails to stop the greenback from rising against the euro. At 7am (AEDT), the local currency was trading at US76.21c, down from US76.75c on Friday. The Australian unit slipped during offshore trade as the US dollar rose against the euro. This occurred even though the University of Michigan's preliminary reading for March showed a decline in consumer confidence. Normally, ...

Hong Kong Stocks Up 0.49% at Break

Hong Kong stocks ended the morning session 0.49 percent higher, while Shanghai rallied Monday after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said the government would provide support if the economy continues to underperform. The benchmark Hang Seng Index added 117.54 points to 23,940.75 by lunch on turnover of HK$37.89 billion ($4.89 billion). And the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index jumped 1.82 percent, or 61.40 points, to 3,434.31. The Shenzhen...

Japan Stocks Swing as Investors Await The Fed for U.S. Rate Signal

Japanese stocks swung between gains and losses as investors await a Federal Reserve meeting this week for an indication of when U.S. interest rates will be raised. The Topix was little changed at 1,560.17 at the trading break in Tokyo, after falling 0.2 percent and rising 0.3 percent. Volume was about 14 percent the 30-day intraday average. The gauge ended last week at its highest close since December 2007. The Nikkei 225 rose 0.2 percent...

Chinese Stock-Index Futures Advance after Last Week’s Increase

China’s stock-index futures rose after the Shanghai benchmark gauge had its biggest weekly gain in a month. Futures on the CSI 300 Index expiring in March added 0.4 percent to 3,631 as of 9:17 a.m. local time. PetroChina Co. and energy companies may be active after crude prices in New York dropped to their lowest level in six years. The Shanghai Composite Index climbed 0.7 percent...