Oil Heads for 4th Weekly Gain as U.S. Fuel Demand Strengthens

Oil headed for the longest run of weekly gains since May amid signs of rising U.S. fuel demand and easing crude production. Futures gained as much as 0.8 percent in New York and are set for a fourth weekly advance. Gasoline consumption the past four weeks was at the highest level since September, while crude output remained near the least since November 2014, according to data from the Energy Information Administration Wednesday....

Euro Goes to First From Worst on Bets Draghi Done Cutting Rates

The euro headed for its best week in more than a month against the dollar as signals the European Central Bank is unlikely to cut interest rates further outweighed the latest expansion of stimulus that exceeded expectations. The single currency, the world’s worst-performing major currency over the past month heading into the ECB meeting Thursday, is the best performer among the developed-nation currencies over the past week. It rallied...

China Stocks Head for Weekly Drop Before Weekend Economic Data

China’s stocks fell for a third day, sending the benchmark index toward a weekly decline, before data this weekend that will likely show a continued slowdown in industrial production and fixed-asset investment. The Shanghai Composite Index slid 1.1 percent at 9:31 a.m. local time. The benchmark gauge slumped on Thursday amid signs state funds didn’t intervene to prop up equities, a reversal of the pattern seen this week. Technology,...

Asian Stocks Decline as ECB Stimulus Fails to Win Over Investors

Asian stocks fell, with the regional gauge heading for its first weekly loss in four weeks, after the European Central Bank’s unprecedented bolstering of monetary policy failed to boost investor sentiment. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index slipped 0.3 percent to 125.16 as of 9:04 a.m., heading for a 0.9 percent loss this week. Mounting concern that central banks have lost the ability to jolt financial markets out of turmoil is derailing a...

Japan Stocks Fall After ECB Stimulus Fails to Ignite Risk Assets

Japanese stocks fell, with the Topix index headed for its first weekly decline in three weeks, after the European Central Bank’s decision to boost stimulus disappointed investors. The Topix lost 1.2 percent to 1,336.17 at 9:01 a.m. in Tokyo, with about six shares declining for each that rose. The gauge is headed for a 2.8 percent drop this week after jumping 15 percent over the previous three weeks. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average declined...