UNITED STATES

The dollar sank to fresh record lows beyond $1.40 per euro on Thursday, weighed down by a hefty U.S. interest rate cut earlier this week and expectations of more moves to come.

Oil hovered above $82 a barrel on Thursday as sinking U.S. crude inventories and the threat of a storm gathering near Florida increased worries of a winter supply crunch in the world's top consumer.

Senate Republicans blocked a plan on Wednesday to give U.S. troops in Iraq more home leave, defeating a proposal widely seen as the Democrats' best near-term chance to change President George W. Bush's Iraq strategy.

China Yangtze Power Co Ltd will issue the nation’s first corporate bond tomorrow, the China Securities News (CSN) reported today.

New Zealand's dollar rose to its highest level versus the dollar and yen in nearly a month following a drop in U.S. interest rates prompted a comeback for investments such as the carry trade.

The dollar was higher against most currencies during Wednesday U.S. trading, up from the lows seen yesterday.

Oil prices on Wednesday closed at a new record-high near $82 per barrel on Wednesday after a report shows that crude reserves dropped more than expected.

U.S stocks rallied for a second day on Wednesday following the half a point drop in interest rates issued by the Federal Reserve yesterday.

GE Energy, the energy arm of U.S. conglomerate General Electric Co, will not sell its Baglan Bay gas-fired power plant in Britain this year, the company said on Wednesday.

Vice President Dick Cheney on Wednesday disputed former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan's portrayal of the Bush administration's economic policies as fiscally reckless.

Overall inflation in Canada slowed to an eight-month low in August and the core rate targeted by the Bank of Canada also eased, likely comforting the central bank after recent debt market turmoil led it cancel plans to raise interest rates.

Apple Inc's new iPod Nano portable music and video player boasts lower component costs than the previous version, market research firm iSuppli said on Wednesday.

Apple President Steve Jobs reiterated his commitment to charging the same price for iTunes downloads across Europe as his lawyers defended the company on Wednesday against allegations its prices are not uniform.

Applications for home mortgages climbed for a third straight week as more borrowers sought to refinance loans on which payments may be about to rise, an industry group said on Wednesday.

Oil will continue to trend higher after hitting fresh highs over $82 a barrel but are unlikely to puncture the $100 level this year, Texas oilman and investor T. Boone Pickens said on Wednesday.

U.S. gold futures rose early on Wednesday on strong follow-through buying and inflationary worries, extending gains from Tuesday when gold contracts surged to a 28-year high after the Federal Reserve half-percentage point rate cut.

The dollar rose from a 15-year low against a basket of currencies on Wednesday as investors bet the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut on Tuesday will help boost a slowing U.S. economy.

Oil slipped on Wednesday after setting a record high above $82 a barrel, with dealers eyeing a diminishing storm threat to oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

Stocks rallied for a second day on Wednesday after an aggressive U.S. rate cut soothed concern the U.S. economy would slip into recession, stirring demand for riskier investments and killing demand for safe-haven bonds.

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The Bank of England made a surprise U-turn on Wednesday, offering to inject 10 billion pounds ($20 billion) next week into money markets in a bid to bring three-month interest rates down.