14 Apr 2005 08:10 AM

Crude prices gained Thursday moving away from near seven-week lows achieved after the reported increase in US stockpiles. The U.S. Department of Energy reported on Wednesday an addition of 3.6 million barrels to the nation’s crude supply that ended at 320.7 million barrels, which is a 8.7% increase over last year’s levels. Crude stockpiles have

13 Apr 2005 09:28 AM

Oil hit a six-week low on Wednesday, on expectations that U.S. government report will show one more increase in crude inventories. The U.S. government report due today is expected to show a rise in crude inventories

13 Apr 2005 07:25 AM

Minutes of the March 22 Federal Open Market Committee meeting were released yesterday, somewhat soothing concerns about the possible acceleration of rate hikes that had weighed on the market since the hawkish

12 Apr 2005 07:54 AM

Crude future rose on Tuesday in spite of the forecasts of slower demand from the International Energy Agency and OPEC’s debate on the addition of 500,000 bpd to its current quota. May crude rose $0.26 to $53.97 a barrel. The

12 Apr 2005 07:51 AM

A trial that will begin in a federal appeals court Friday will test whether the Securities and Exchange Commission exceeded its authority by limiting the eligibility to serve on mutual funds’ boards. The SEC regulation passed in June 2004 requires that 75% of directors be independent of the investment company in charge of the fund’s management. Previously this number was 40%. The commission’s ruling also stipulates that

11 Apr 2005 08:01 AM

Crude oil futures dropped Monday on OPEC announcement that the cartel is about to boost output by another 500,000 barrels per day from next month to help build oil stockpiles ahead of a projected rise in demand in the second half-year. The increase would take supplies to 28.5 million bpd in May from approximately 28 million

11 Apr 2005 07:47 AM

Americans seem to be overconfident of their post-retirement future, shows the annual retirement confidence survey of the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute. Even though 65 percent of respondents said they were "very" or "somewhat confident" that their money supply after retirement will be sufficient, 20 percent of the

09 Apr 2005 10:06 AM

The debate on he feasibility of the new estate tax in the US is likely to end with the adoption of a compromise bill that would preserve the tax only for the most affluent citizens. Sen. Jon Kyl (R., Ariz.) is in discussions with Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.) about the possibility of a compromise bill to be introduced this year. Republicans

08 Apr 2005 07:42 AM

US Congress is trying to take legislative action to force China to finally revalue its currency, a move that was resisted by th Chinese authorities for a long time. The bill introduced by Rep. Tim Ryan (D., Ohio) yesterday claims that exchange-rate manipulation is a prohibited export subsidy and calls for sanctions on Chinese exports. The day before, the Senate supported the plan to impose a 27.5% tariff on all Chinese products if the nation

08 Apr 2005 07:40 AM

Crude oil falls as worries about refinery capacity are soothed on rising output. May crude iol futures slipped $0.34 to $53.77 a barrel. On April 6 the US government report indicated a 5.2 percent jump in refinery production last week, stating that refineries operate at 93.7 percent capacity, the record level in the past three years. This alleviated concerns about

07 Apr 2005 09:06 AM

Crude oil futures rose on concerns that gas supply may not be enough to meet growing demand in the driving season, although the US government report showed an eighth consecutive rise in US crude stockpiles. May crude oil futures added $0.90 to $56.75 a barrel. The U.S. Energy Department reported on Wednesday that the US inventories of crude oil added 2.4 million barrels

07 Apr 2005 08:33 AM

The first quarter was not exactly stellar for mutual funds as Standard and Poor’s 500 lost 2.6%. This decline naturally most affected US stock funds that lost 2.5% on average, while international funds fared much better. MorningStar Inc. research shows that Foreign Small-Mid Growth funds had an average return of 3% in the first quarter

06 Apr 2005 07:49 AM

Crude oil have retreated again on predictions that a U.S. government inventory report today will show a eighth consecutive weekly rise in U.S. crude stocks of 2.5 million barrels and a fifth weekly drop in gasoline supplies.

06 Apr 2005 07:46 AM

A surge in US business activity predictably led to an increase in average office rents that added 0.7% in the first quarter to land at $20.25 in comparison to $20.11 in the previous quarter, reports Reis Inc., a New York-based commercial real-estate research firm. Office rents posted the first increase since the first quarter of 2001, the start of one of the worst downturns in the history of the office market. The

05 Apr 2005 08:13 AM

Oil futures retreated after rising over $58 a barrel yesterday on worries of rising demand that will exceed available output resources. Today May oil futures fell $0.45 to $56.56 a barrel.