COMMODITIES

The Photon 4G could pose a serious threat to the upcoming iPhone 5.

In his Jackson Hole, Wyo. conference speech, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said, in so many words, that headwinds -- some organic, some Capitol Hill-ish -- confronting the U.S. economy are strong, but the Fed is stronger.

Brent crude oil rose slightly in choppy trade on Friday as Hurricane Irene barreled toward the U.S. East Coast and traders weighed comments by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on the economy.

The U.S. economy grew at a worse-than-expected 1.0 percent rate in the second quarter, the U.S. Commerce Department announced Friday, in its second estimate for the quarter, as lower export growth and a slowdown in inventory build-up braked the world's largest economy to near-stall speed.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Sprint iPhone 5 release will be in mid-October, giving the third largest carrier in the U.S. access to (by many objective and subjective metrics) the hottest smartphone on the market.

A Mercuria Energy Group subsidiary has formed a joint venture with Hong-Kong listed China Datang Corp. Renewable Power Co. , focusing on renewable energy and carbon credits, energy trading house Mercuria said on its website.

The German DAX dropped 4 percent in about 15 minutes in Friday afternoon trading, on a rumor that the German Government's credit rating will be downgraded.

A U.S. Navy panel has ruled that the former commander of the USS Enterprise committed misconduct by broadcasting raunchy videos aboard the aircraft carrier, but that he should not be discharged.

U.S. initial jobless claims unexpectedly rose by 5,000 to 417,000 last week -- a total skewed higher by an irregular event, the Verizon strike. However, if claims remain above the 400,000 level in the weeks ahead, that would be another sign that the U.S. economic recovery continues to slow -- exactly what policy makers do not want.

Probably the only reason why Steve Jobs quit as CEO of the company he co-founded and made into a world leader is because the end of his life is near. His body is breaking down and, as usual, neither he nor Apple will discuss it.

Steve Jobs co-founder of Apple (AAPL), a visionary, and the driving force behind one of the United States' premiere and most trail-blazing companies in the modern/postmodern era, has had several medical leaves.

Analysis: What can be taken away from HP's success with the Touchpad?

NFL veteran quarterback Kerry Collins came out of a brief retirement to sign with the Indianapolis Colts on Wednesday, raising further concerns that Peyton Manning might not be ready for the opening game.

If U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke needs any more evidence regarding the slowdown in the U.S. economic recovery, he need look no further than U.S. housing prices, which have fallen for 17 consecutive quarters

Sprint may finally jump on the bandwagon and join its rivals in offering Apple's products, starting with none other than the iPhone 5. Bbut this may not prove to be such a boon to the No.3 U.S. carrier.

The much-maligned U.S. debt deal is not inconsequential, according to latest budget deficit and economic analysis report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) -- it slices next year's deficit to $973 billion from $1.28 trillion this year, and it will also lower interest rates.

It's true that mounting facts support the argument that we're experiencing Tech Bubble 2.0, primarily because of what seems to be overzealous enthusiasm for Internet company stock IPOs on Wall Street in recent months.

The U.S. Federal Reserve used a non-competitive bid process when it secured middlemen services to maintain liquidity in the critical money-market fund market -- an emergency action necessitated by the financial crisis triggered by the collapse of Lehman Brothers.

Investors are agonizing over the prospect of another round of quantitative easing that could come from the Fed chairman Ben Bernanke’s Jackson Hole summit later this week.

China vowed on Wednesday to appeal a recent World Trade Organization ruling against its raw materials export policy, a case that could threaten Beijing's stance on rare earths, which it contends is in line with the trade body's rules.

Brent crude prices steadied above $109 Wednesday as investors pinned their hopes on the U.S. Federal Reserve to inject fresh stimulus to boost the world's largest economy.

Mandatory anti-smoking warnings on U.S. cigarette packs are being challenged, this time by researchers who say the combination of grotesque images and explicit messages may not be effective in curbing smoking.

You can’t blame investors for feeling slightly queasy about the U.S. stock market these days. One day of relatively positive data points is followed by a day with enough bad news to keep a stock investor up at night. But based on a condensed, cross-methodological analysis, in which direction is the Dow likely to head in the next six months?

Billionaire Investor/Philanthropist George Soros has provided more thought-provoking commentary on the markets, and he says a U.s. double-dip recession is more likely now.

“The negotiations are far from over.”

New home sells fell in July to a 298,000-unit annual rate, the third straight monthly decline for the beleaguered sector. The slump means housing is likely to be a drag on U.S. GDP at least for the next two quarters, and perhaps for longer. New home prices are attractive, but potential buyers should traead carefully: they may drop in many markets.

You thought the U.S. debt deal ended the feud between Democrats and Republicans? Hardly. The U.S. Government's new fiscal year, fiscal 2012, starts Oct. 1 -- and a budget must be passed by Sept. 30. A key unknown is: will the Tea Party threaten to shut down the government again, if it doesn't get most of what it wants?

HP's TouchPad could touch Apple's iPad, but BlackBerry maker Research in Motion still thinks its smartphones can touch Apple's iPhone. Never mind that the iPhone keeps leaving the BlackBerry, the original hit smartphone, behind. RIM keeps trying. Tuesday, RIM announced three new BlackBerry smartphones, including the all-new BlackBerry Curve 9350, BlackBerry Curve 9360, and BlackBerry Curve 9370.

You can’t blame investors for feeling slightly queasy about the U.S. stock market these days. One day of relatively positive data points is followed by a day with enough bad news to keep a stock investor up at night. But based on a condensed, cross-methodological analysis, in which direction is the Dow likely to head in the next six months?