GOLD

Stocks fell on Wednesday as weak commodity prices sparked a selloff in the energy and materials sectors and as a falling euro and high Italian bond yields kept Europe's debt crisis in focus.

Fire River Gold Corp said it resumed operations at its Nixon Fork mine in Alaska on Tuesday night, three days after it suspended operations at the mine and mill as bad weather prevented fuel-carrying aircraft from landing at the site.

The U.S. Marine Corps has issued an apology after it sent Christmas ornaments addressed to dead marines to the families of those who received Purple Hearts during their service.

Gold and silver assets were plunging dramatically Wednesday, with prices for bullion falling below their 200-day moving average for the first time since 2009 and shares of precious metals miners dropping hard.

Wall Street was set to open slightly lower on Wednesday with traders focused on a sliding euro and rising Italian bond yields as market anxiety over Europe persisted.

An auction of actress Elizabeth Taylor's world-renowned jewels took in $116 million, more than double the record for a single collection and setting new marks for pearls, colorless diamonds and Indian jewels.

Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. and its Indonesian union signed a pay deal on Wednesday to end a three-month strike that had paralysed output at the world's second-biggest copper mine, a union official and the company said.

Rajesh Exports, the world's biggest jewellery maker, expects to raise gold imports by 17 percent next year to power its renewed thrust in the competitive and fragmented local jewellery market as a cushion against a volatile export market.

India's Rajesh Exports, the world's biggest jewellery maker, expects to raise gold imports 17 percent next year to power its renewed thrust in the competitive and fragmented local jewellery market as a cushion against a volatile export market, its chairman said on Wednesday.

Gold prices fell for a third consecutive day Wednesday -- extending a weeklong plunge to more than 6 percent -- after the U.S. central bank warned that slowing global growth threatens the nation's weak recovery.

The top aftermarket NYSE losers on Tuesday were: Sequans Communications, IDT Corp, HyperDynamics, Getty Realty, U.S. Gold Corp, Penn Virginia Corp, Ivanhoe Mines, Manitowoc Co, Titan International and Calix.

Asian shares drifted lower and the euro idled near an 11-month low on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve failed to take any new steps to stimulate growth and offset the chilling effects of Europe's still-unresolved sovereign debt crisis.

For sale: Historical brick home in Los Angeles. Includes a grand ballroom, Tiffany light fixtures, six bedrooms, five baths -- and maybe a body or three in the basement.

Little is known about Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow's love life, but the latest rumor going around town is that the star athlete is dating Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn.

Gold prices slipped Tuesday, its seventh consecutive daily decline, to a two-month low as the dollar posted big gains in light trading.

ECR Minerals Plc said Tuesday it expects exploratory drilling on its El Abra gold prospect in Argentina to begin next month.

Hecla Mining Co., the largest U.S. silver producer, acquired the remaining 30 percent interest in a prolific Colorado silver project that it did not already own, the Idaho-based company said Tuesday.

Dressed in a surgeon's white garb, Caviar Meister Tobias Felix slits open the slimy, grey skin of the sturgeon on the table in front of him to reveal Switzerland's latest luxury delicacy.

The amount of gold held in exchange-traded products is near record highs and although the gold price is suffering from investors' desire for the safety of cash, the risk of this $116 billion stash of bullion being jettisoned is distant.

Gold and gold receivables held by euro zone central banks fell by 1 million euros to 419.822 billion euros in the week ending Dec. 9, the European Central Bank said on Tuesday.

Canadian miner Endeavour Silver Corp said it has discovered two high-grade silver-gold zones at its Guanajuato mine in Mexico and expects a substantial increase in reserves and resources at the mine at the year-end.