Aust dollar weakens on Fed fears

The Australian dollar is weaker as the US Federal Reserve begins its two-day meeting on monetary policy.At 7am (AEDT), the local currency was trading at US76.18c, down from US76.29c on Tuesday.The US dollar rose against a range of currencies overnight as the Fed's Federal Open Market Committee began its key meeting on interest rates.Traders are waiting for Thursday morning's communique...

Gold Futures Decline to 18-Week Low as Investors Sell ETP Assets

Gold futures slumped to an 18-week low as investors exited funds backed by the metal before a Federal Reserve policy meeting. Holdings in gold exchange-traded products fell for a 14th straight day Monday, the longest run in more than a year. Almost 90 percent of economists surveyed by Bloomberg predict Fed officials will drop a pledge to be “patient” on raising interest rates from a policy statement due at the conclusion of their gathering...

U.S. Stocks Fall as Commodity Shares Retreat Before Fed Meeting

U.S. stocks retreated from the biggest rally in more than a month as commodity and consumer shares slumped before the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index dropped 0.3 percent to 2,074.17 at 4 p.m. in New York, after earlier falling as much as 0.8 percent. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 0.2 percent, boosted by Apple Inc. and Facebook Inc. The S&P 500 has lost 2 percent from its March 2 record...

Europe Stocks Fall as German Investor Confidence Misses Forecast

European stocks slipped as a measure of German investor confidence missed forecasts.Automakers led declines, with Peugeot SA sliding 5.9 percent. Holcim Ltd. and Lafarge SA dragged construction stocks lower. A measure of energy stocks posted the best performance of the 19 industry groups on the Stoxx Europe 600 Index.The Stoxx 600 slid 0.7 percent to 397.36 at 4:30 p.m. in London, paring earlier losses of as much as 1.1 percent. The gauge...

U.S. Stocks Drop With Copper, Oil; Treasuries Rise as Fed Meets

U.S. stocks fell as commodity shares dropped amid slumps in copper and crude prices. Treasuries rose as economic data fueled speculation the Federal Reserve won’t be in a hurry to raise interest rates after its two-day meeting. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index dropped 0.6 percent at 12 p.m. in New York, following a 1.4 percent surge Monday that was the biggest in five weeks. DuPont Co. sank 3.2 percent to lead a 1 percent decline...