U.S. oil futures end slightly higher

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West Texas Intermediate oil futures for March delivery ended a choppy session slightly higher.

Crude erased an early rally to bounce between small gains and losses after weekly government data showed a rise in inventories for U.S. crude, gasoline and distillates and Saudi Arabia's finance minister was quoted as saying the country wasn't prepared to cut production.

March crude settled at $30.77 a barrel, gain of 11 cents, or 0.4%.

Source: Marketwatch

Gold Ends Sharply Higher as Stock Rally Falters

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Gold futures stormed higher Thursday, as U.S. stocks struggled to rally after registering three straight days of gains.

April gold closed $14.90, or 1.2%, higher at $1,226.30 an ounce. The advance for the yellow metal comes about 24 hours after minutes from the Federal Reserve indicated that the U.S. central bank is concerned about the slowdown in the global economy-a position that could be supportive for gold prices since it implies fewer interest-rate increases in 2016. Lower rates boost the luster of precious metals that don't offer a yield.

Gold's recent run-up suggests that some investors aren't placing a lot of faith in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 index's recent bout of hefty gains.

Source: MarketWatch

Hong Kong Stocks Climb, Tracking Rebound in Global Markets (Riview)

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Hong Kong stocks climbed more than 2 percent on Thursday, aided by a surge in energy shares, following overnight gains in U.S. and European equities and a jump in oil prices.

The Hang Seng index ended up 2.3 percent at 19,363.08 points, while the China Enterprises Index gained 3.0 percent to 8,166.47.

The energy sector surged 4.3 percent, with Chinese oil giants PetroChina, CNOOC and Sinopec posting sharp gains.

Source : Reuters

U.S. Stocks Decline After Strongest Three-Day Rally Since August

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U.S. stocks declined following the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index’s strongest three-day advance in almost six months, as banks, technology and consumer shares lost momentum after bolstering the rally.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.5 percent to 1,917.79 at 4 p.m. in New York, halting a winning streak after the gauge’s 1.7 percent climb on Wednesday capped its first three-day gain of the year. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 1 percent as Apple Inc. and Google parent Alphabet Inc. sank more than 1.9 percent.

Equities lost momentum Thursday after recent gains that have come just as fast as the losses that sent the S&P 500 to its worst start to any year. Almost half of 2016’s decline was erased in the prior three sessions as the most beaten-down industries, including banks, technology and retailer shares, led a comeback. The benchmark is still down about 10 percent from its May record, and has lost 6.2 percent this year amid signs of weakness in the global economy and falling commodity prices.

Source: Bloomberg

U.S. Stocks Pare Slide as Oil Rebounds, Energy Shares Trim Drop

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U.S. stocks pared a retreat as energy shares trimmed declines amid a rebound in oil prices, while banks pulled back from their best rally in more than five years.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.2 percent to 1,923.03 at 12:06 p.m. in New York, after losing as much as 0.6 percent. The gauge’s 1.7 percent rally on Wednesday capped its first three-day gain of the year.

Equities lost momentum Thursday after recent gains that have come just as fast as the losses that sent the S&P 500 to its worst start to any year. Almost half of 2016’s decline was erased in the prior three sessions as the most beaten-down industries, including banks, technology and retailer shares, led a comeback.

The S&P 500 is still down about 10 percent from its May record, and has lost 6.1 percent this year amid signs of weakness in the global economy and falling commodity prices.

Source: Bloomberg