Oil Advances as U.S. Crude Stockpiles Seen Falling, Easing Glut

Crude climbed as traders counted on another week of declines in U.S. crude inventories to help ease the glut that’s pushed prices below $40 a barrel. Futures rose 2.9 percent in New York, paring Monday’s 3.4 percent slide. U.S. crude stockpiles probably fell a second week, according to a Bloomberg survey before government data Wednesday. Prices rebounded despite Saudi Arabia’s planned cuts to 2016 spending that are based on a Brent...

Gold Ends Little Changed as Stocks and Oil Surge

Gold futures ended little changed Tuesday, kept in check by a rally in a global stocks and a strengthening dollar. February gold ended 30 cents, or less than 0.1%, lower at $1,068 an ounce. The metal is on track for a 0.3% gain for December but remains down 9.8% since the end of 2014. Gold was marginally higher earlier in the session but succumbed to pressure from surging stocks which were underpinned by a rebound in crude-oil prices. Advances ...

Japanese Shares Rise With Topix Headed for Fourth Year of Gains

Japanese shares rose, with the Topix index poised to end the year with its fourth straight gain, as equities tracked a rally in the U.S. and Europe. The Topix rose 0.5 percent to 1,551.59 as of 9:01 a.m. in Tokyo on the final trading day of the year, with all but one of the 33 industry groups advancing. The measure is heading toward a 10 percent gain for 2015, adding to a 93 percent increase over the past three years. For the quarter,...

S&P 500 Restores 2015 Gain as U.S. Stocks Gain Toward Year End

U.S. stocks rose, restoring the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index’s gain for the year and nearly erasing a monthly decline as retailers and technology shares led a rally in light trading. The S&P 500 advanced 1.1 percent to 2,078.27 at 4 p.m. in New York, rising to a three-week high. Tuesday’s activity was a reflection of the year, with investors piling into the three top-performing S&P 500 industry groups in 2015 -- consumer discretionary,...

U.S. Stocks Rose as S&P 500 Restores 2015 Gain Near Year End

U.S. stocks rose, restoring the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index’s gain for the year and paring a monthly decline as retailers and technology shares rallied in light trading. Amazon.com Inc. paced gains among retailers for a second day, rising 2.6 percent to a record in post-holiday trading that was 38 percent below the 30-day average for this time of day. Kohl’s Corp. and Target Corp. increased more than 2.5 percent. Pep Boys added...