Stocks decline as AIG reveals need for cash, oil surges
NEW YORK (AP) -Wall Street ended the week with a big decline as investors grappled with two of the biggest threats to the economy: fallout from turmoil in the credit market and surging energy prices. All three major indexes suffered losses for the week.
Insurer American International Group Inc. helped send the Dow Jones industrial average down about 120 points after posting a wider-than-expected first-quarter loss that rekindled anxiety about the strained state of the global financial system.
AIG reported it lost $7.81 billion -its second straight quarterly loss -and revealed plans to raise $12.5 billion in the coming months. The world's largest insurer, like many of its peers in the financial services sector, has seen its investments in the credit markets plunge in value.
Meanwhile, rising crude oil prices remained a source of worry for investors, as they had much of the week and in recent months. Oil futures rose above $126 a barrel for the first time, further stoking concerns about inflation that could curtail consumer spending.
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Gas jumps above $3.67, oil passes $126 on Venezuela concerns
NEW YORK (AP) -Oil rose above $126 a barrel for the first time Friday, bringing its advance this week to nearly $10, as investors questioned whether a possible confrontation between the U.S. and Venezuela could cut exports from the OPEC member.
Gas prices, meanwhile, rose above an average $3.67 a gallon at the pump, following oil's recent path higher.
On Friday, The Wall Street Journal published a report that suggested closer ties between Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and rebels attempting to overthrow Colombia's government, which heighten the chances that the U.S. could impose sanctions on one of its biggest oil suppliers.

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