Gold Holds Near Five-Year Low on Expectations for Higher Rates

Gold held a second day of declines as investors continued to expect an increase in U.S. borrowing costs by the end of the year, cutting the appeal of bullion which doesn’t pay interest. Metal for immediate delivery was at $1,070.25 an ounce at 8:43 a.m. in Singapore from $1,069.18 on Monday, according to Bloomberg generic pricing. Prices fell to $1,064.55 on Nov. 18, the lowest since February 2010. Federal Reserve policy makers are...

Dollar hits 7-month high vs. euro on December rate-hike expectations

The dollar rose to its highest level against the euro since mid-April Monday after hawkish comments from San Francisco Federal Reserve President John Williams over the weekend reiterated the case for raising interest rates in December. The euro traded at $1.0626 late Monday, compared with $1.0649 late Friday in New York. The shared currency traded as low as $1.0593 early in the session, its lowest level since mid-April, according to...

Asia Stocks Drop as Tumbling Commodity Prices Weigh on Producers

Asian stocks fell as tumbling commodity prices dragged raw-materials shares lower, with BHP Billiton Ltd. on course to close at the lowest since 2008. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index lost 0.1 percent to 134.16 as of 9:00 a.m. in Tokyo, as Japanese markets opened after a holiday. Material shares led losses among the regional measure’s 10 industry groups. The increased likelihood of a Federal Reserve interest-rate increase this year is sending...

Japan Stocks Fall as Investors Weigh Commodity Slump, Stimulus

Japanese stocks slipped after trading resumed after a holiday, with investors weighing slumping commodity prices with expectations for economic stimulus. Airlines led losses and paper makers gained. The Topix index lost 0.2 percent to 1,600.28 as of 9:04 a.m. in Tokyo, paring last week’s gain of 1.1 percent. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average dropped 0.1 percent to 19,857.34, after closing on Friday closing at the highest level since Aug....

U.S. Stocks Slip Amid Drag From Pfizer Deal, Technology Shares

U.S. stocks slipped following the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index’s best weekly rally this year, as gains in consumer companies were overshadowed by a retreat in Allergan Plc and Pfizer Inc. amid their record $160 billion merger deal. Allergan and Pfizer slipped more than 2.6 percent. Electronic Arts Inc. fell 4.8 percent as GameStop Inc. said sales of the video-game maker’s Star Wars: Battlefront were weaker than expected. Tyson Foods...