commodities – News Stories About commodities - Page 3

May 1, 2008 4:39 PM CDT

Sculpture Thieves Seek Scrap Metal

Commodity prices driving thefts; more artists steering clear

(Newser) - A wave of sculpture thefts has little to do with the pieces’ artistic merit: Police believe they’ve been stolen for their valuable copper content, the Wall Street Journal reports. In the past 18 months, three public artworks displayed in Brea, Calif., have disappeared—and the trend is appearing across...

Broken Tech Becomes
Gold Mine, Literally

Apr 28, 2008 2:03 PM CDT

Broken Tech Becomes Gold Mine, Literally

Commodity prices have 'urban miners' panning discarded electronics

(Newser) - No matter how broken it is, your old cell phone is still valuable to some people. That’s because it, like most electronics, is loaded with copper, iridium, gold, and other commodities that are becoming more expensive by the day. “To some it's just a mountain of garbage, but...

Fed Cut Raises Inflation Fears

Mar 19, 2008 10:27 AM CDT

Fed Cut Raises Inflation Fears

Borrowers, exporters stand to gain, but critics find move 'self-defeating'

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve's latest rate cut might boost the economy with cheaper credit, but economists worry a freed inflation genie could be behind any magic, the Washington Post reports. Commodity prices rose to record levels in expectation that the rate cut would keep demand high, and the price hikes are...

Gold Hits Record $1K per Ounce

Mar 13, 2008 1:03 PM CDT

Gold Hits Record $1K per Ounce

Slumping US economy, dollar sends investors to shiny commodity

(Newser) - Gold hit $1,000 per ounce for the first time today, the BBC reports, as investors flock to commodities. The precious metal is already up 20% on the year. “Every bit of bad US economic data boosts gold in two ways,” said Fortis Bank, both because gold is...

Stocks Rally, Flatten, End Down

MARKETS

Mar 12, 2008 3:38 PM CDT

Stocks Rally, Flatten, End Down

Oil hitting $110-a-barrel mark sure doesn't help; hopes of another rate cut rise

(Newser) - Markets shot up early today, then flattened out and ended down as record oil and gas prices put a damper on things. Per-barrel oil prices hit $110.20 before landing at $109.92, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow ended down 46.57 to 12,110.24, the Nasdaq...

Dollar Hit
as Emerging Economies
Fight Inflation

Mar 11, 2008 7:32 AM CDT

Dollar Hit as Emerging Economies Fight Inflation

$108 oil pushes gas prices higher

(Newser) - A weak US dollar continued to fuel surging commodity prices today, keeping oil near $108 a barrel and moving a gallon of gas to $3.225, with analysts predicting near $4 prices by spring, the Wall Street Journal reports. Stress on the greenback is coming from not only major but...

Financials, $108 Oil Sink Stocks

MARKETS

Mar 10, 2008 3:49 PM CDT

Financials, $108 Oil Sink Stocks

Crude shatters record price; recession fears prevail

(Newser) - US stocks fell today for a third consecutive day as fears of recession continued to spread, MarketWatch reports. With Ambac’s revival uncertain and Countrywide facing a possible securities fraud probe, shares of both financial giants plummeted, pressuring the overall market downward. The Dow lost 153.54 to close at...

Oil Up, Dollar Down, Stocks Stall

MARKETS

Mar 3, 2008 3:55 PM CST

Oil Up, Dollar Down, Stocks Stall

Situation could be much worse, some experts say

(Newser) - Rising commodities prices partially offset bad news about manufacturing activity, the plunging dollar, and record crude oil prices to create a plateau on Wall Street today. The Dow ended down 7.49 at 12,258.90, the Nasdaq down 12.88 at 2,258.60, and the S&P 500...

Oil Flirts With Record-High $104

Mar 3, 2008 11:45 AM CST

Oil Flirts With Record-High $104

Passes inflation-adjusted all-time peak

(Newser) - As oil soared to nearly $104 a barrel today, it set an all-time, inflation-adjusted record, surpassing even the height of the oil crises of the '70s and '80s, the New York Times reports. Futures touched $103.95 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, beating out the April 1980 record of...

Tanking Dow Drops 315 Points

MARKETS

Feb 29, 2008 3:15 PM CST

Tanking Dow Drops 315 Points

Huge AIG, Dell losses spark sell-off

(Newser) - The Dow lost an incredible 315.79 points today to close at 12,266.39 as AIG reported the biggest losses in its history and bellwether Dell reported a year-over-year fourth-quarter profit decline of 6%. The Nasdaq slipped 60.09 to 2,271.48, and the S&P 500 lost...

Commodities Markets in
Merger Talks

Jan 29, 2008 8:12 AM CST

Commodities Markets in Merger Talks

Chicago Mercantile Exchange targets New York counterpart in $11B bid

(Newser) - Owners of the Chicago and New York commodities exchanges are in preliminary talks that could end in an $11 billion merger of the two largest commodities markets in the US, reports the New York Times. NYMEX Holdings shareholders would receive $36 and 0.1323 of a share of CME's common...

Monkeys Swap Grooming for Sex

Jan 5, 2008 9:12 PM CST

Monkeys Swap Grooming for Sex

Male macaques groom for longer when fewer females are around

(Newser) - What price for a little lovin'? Male macaque monkeys pay for sex by grooming females, but only as much as necessary: They groom for longer when fewer females are around, and for less time when there are more, according to a new study. "In primate societies, grooming is the...

Market Plummets to Start Year

MARKETS

Jan 2, 2008 3:28 PM CST

Market Plummets to Start Year

Weak manufacturing, surging oil prices sink stocks

(Newser) - The Dow fell 214.11 to 13,050.71 today, giving 2008 its first record: biggest point drop to start a year. Climbing commodity prices and poor manufacturing readings led the sharp 1.7% decline, and spiking crude oil futures sealed the bearish day. One strategist fretted over the Institute...

Global Food Prices Soar

Dec 17, 2007 4:44 PM CST

Global Food Prices Soar

Wheat and rice futures reach new highs; costs sure to be passed on to consumers

(Newser) - Expect another surge in the cost of breakfast cereal: The benchmark price for wheat rose above $10 a bushel for the first time today, further fueling the inflation in global food costs that kicked in last summer. Benchmark prices for rice futures also hit a new high, and corn and...

Oil Tops $99 as Dollar Sinks

Nov 21, 2007 4:05 AM CST

Oil Tops $99 as Dollar Sinks

Weak greenback and strong demand could send crude over $100 a barrel today

(Newser) - The price of oil hit a record high mere pennies from $100 a barrel and the dollar sunk to a new low in early trading today. Oil hit $99.29 but slipped back to $98.64. With cold weather hitting the US, and OPEC supplies limited, some analysts think oil...

At $832 an Ounce, All That Glitters Is Gold

Nov 12, 2007 3:05 PM CST

At $832 an Ounce, All That Glitters Is Gold

Economic uncertainty drives price toward 1980 highs

(Newser) - Gold’s lure as a safe haven from economic upheaval has Wall Street worried that investors are turning their backs on the markets, reports the LA Times. Gold prices have pushed steadily toward $850 an ounce, a level it hasn’t seen since 1980. "The markets' statement is that...

Deal Could Forge Mining Goliath

Nov 9, 2007 5:19 AM CST

Deal Could Forge Mining Goliath

Sky-high demand for minerals driving mergers

(Newser) - The biggest mining company in the world is aiming to get even bigger. BHP Billiton's $142 billion bid for Rio Tinto has been turned down, but the firm is still keen to make a deal, reports the Wall Street Journal. The deal would be the second-largest in history, and the...