Commodities
Commodities: Oil futures decline after DoE inventory data
Commodities were trading on a mixed note come Thursday, despite data showing a much-larger-than-forecast decline in US crude oil stockpiles and a slightly stronger than expected reading on Chinese gross domestic product in the fourth quarter.
Bitcoin veterans unshaken by South Korea ban, as analysts battle over theory
Some of the most experienced Bitcoin investors are defying regulator's threats to ban trading in the cryptocurrency and say the restrictions can be circumvented easily, while the prices began to rebound after the huge recent crash.
BP and Shell eyeing first purchases of Libyan crude in four years
Royal Dutch Shell and BP are said to have agreed to annual purchase deals of Libyan crude on Thursday as recovering production levels from the North African nation and decreased security fears began to draw in several of the world's largest oil companies.
Alcoa falls short of Wall Street expectations
US aluminium producer Alcoa's fourth-quarter profit and revenue fell short of market estimates as higher power prices in Spain coupled with ongoing droughts in Brazil that hampered bauxite production, increased expenses.
World confidence in US leadership has slumped under Trump administration
Global approval of the US has fallen to a new low, from 48% under Obama to 30% under Trump, Gallup’s global leadership poll finds.
Jobless claims drop to lowest level since 1973
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits dropped more than expected last week, according to figures from the Labor Department.
Sharp fall in US December housing starts, but permits stable
Homebuilding activity in the US hit the skids at the end of the year in part due to poor weather.
Philly Fed factory index dips in January, as expected
Factory activity in the US mid-Atlantic region cooled in January, according to the results of one of the most widely-followed surveys for the sector.
China fourth quarter GDP growth beats forecasts, but some economists sceptical
China's economy grew more quickly than expected in 2017, according to both official and private sector estimates, but some economists believed the official figures belied the extent of the slowdown in the fourth quarter.