Gold Steps Higher, Taking Cues from Softer Dollar

Gold futures moved higher in early trade Wednesday, tracking a slide in the U.S. dollar. February gold gained $6.70, or 0.6%, to $1,082.80 an ounce. The ICE U.S. Dollar Index DXY, -0.73% was 0.6% lower Wednesday, retreating after earlier moves drove the buck higher on expectations of an increase in benchmark interest rates by the Federal Reserve as soon as next week. The Federal Open Market Committee concludes its two-day monetary policy...

Oil Halts Decline Near Six-Year Low Before U.S. Inventory Data

Oil halted its decline near the lowest price in more than six years before weekly U.S. crude inventory and production data. Futures rose as much as 2.4 percent in New York after losing 8.7 percent in the past three days, with OPEC having effectively abandoned its output target at a Dec. 4 meeting. U.S. stockpiles probably increased by 1.3 million barrels for an 11th week of gains,...

Asian Stocks Decline as Jump in Yen Weighs on Japanese Exporters

Asian stocks fell, with the benchmark index set to extend a two-month low, as the yen’s biggest gain in three months weighed on Japanese exporters and health-care shares declined. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index slid 0.3 percent to 129.67 as of 9:01 a.m. in Tokyo, poised for its lowest close since Oct. 6, as health-care and consumer shares led losses. Japan’s Topix index dropped 0.8 percent after the yen jumped 1.2 percent against the dollar...

Japan Stocks Sink Third Day as Yen Surges Most in Three Months

Japanese stocks fell for a third day after the yen jumped against the dollar by the most in three months, damping the outlook for exporters. The Topix index retreated 0.7 percent to 1,544.13 as of 9:02 a.m. in Tokyo, headed for the lowest close in a month as all but one of the gauge’s 33 industry groups fell. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 1 percent to 19,107.02 The yen traded at 121.59 per dollar after soaring 1.2 percent on Wednesday,...

U.S. Stocks Fluctuate After Two-Day Selloff as Crude Rebounds

U.S. stocks fluctuated following two days of declines, as crude oil paced a rebound among commodity shares and investors weighed the prospects for global growth. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index lost 0.2 percent to 2,059.07 at 9:33 a.m. in New York, declining for the fifth time in six sessions. Stocks fell Tuesday as weak trade data from China rekindled worry the slowdown there will spread -- a concern that sparked the summer rout...