Archive for February 7th, 2008

Crude oil prices decline on sharp rise in supply

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

Crude oil dropped Wednesday after the government reported unexpectedly big build in U.S. petroleum stockpiles. Light, sweet crude for March delivery fell 1.27 dollars to settle at 87.14 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Ex ...

Japan’s foreign reserves hit new record high

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

Japan's foreign exchange reserves reached 996.04 billion U.S. dollars at the end of January, hitting a new record high, the Japanese Finance Ministry said Thursday. The nation's foreign reserves rose 22.68 billion dollars from a mon ...

U.S. paper says recession fears intensify, further rate cuts expected

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

Recession worries surged, slamming financial markets, amid signs that service businesses -- from hotels and retailers to banks -- may be stumbling in both the U.S. and Europe, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. In the U. ...

Tokyo stocks plunge more than 4%

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

Tokyo stocks plunged more than 4 percent Wednesday with the key Nikkei index diving over 600 points. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average plunged 646.26 points, or 4.70 percent, from Tuesday to 13,099.24. The broader Topix in ...

BHP says to complete takeover of Rio Tinto

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

The world's largest mining company BHP Billiton Ltd said Wednesday it would take over its rival Rio Tinto without the support of the Chinese aluminum company Chinalco. BHP Billiton's chief executive Marius Kloppers told reporters in ...

Dollar drops to lower 106 yen in Tokyo

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

The U.S. dollar dropped to the lower 106 yen level Wednesday in Tokyo. At 5 p.m., the dollar traded at 106.27-30 yen, down from 106.76-86 yen in New York and 106.98-107.00 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The dollar moved bet ...

Yahoo makes no decision yet on Microsoft buyout offer

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

Yahoo's board of directors has yet to decide on Microsoft's buyout offer worth 44.6 billion dollars announced last week, Jerry Yang, CEO of the Internet search engine, said on Wednesday. Yang said in an e-mail message to Yahoo emplo ...

Italy set to hold general elections on April 13-14

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

Italians will go to polls on April 13-14, the Italian government announced on Wednesday, shortly after President Giorgio Napolitano paved the way for elections by dissolving parliament. Napolitano expressed "regret" over his decisio ...