CRUDE OIL

Images from an underwater vehicle proved the company's original fears that the 40,000 barrel leak sprung during the transfer of crude oil from a floating storage facility to an awaiting cargo tanker.

You can rage, rage against gas prices, or you can align your interest with oil producers/refiners by considering shares in an oil play. And here are five.

Asia'a markets rose more than 1 percent and U.S. index futures also gained on Friday, as signs of a strengthening economy in the United States encouraged a year-end bounce for riskier assets.

Asian stocks rose more than 1 percent and U.S. index futures also gained on Friday, as signs of a strengthening economy in the United States encouraged a year-end bounce for riskier assets.

Asian stocks edged up Friday, as signs of a strengthening economy in the United States encouraged a modest year-end rally in riskier assets.

Gold struggled Friday as fund managers booked profits on the yellow metal's gains this year, offsetting the lift it normally would have gotten from rising crude oil prices and stocks.

Nigerian officials said they expect oil leaked from a Royal Dutch Shell offshore well to reach the country's shores Thursday. Shell officials suspect half of the estimated 40,000 barrels of oil leaked in the Atlantic this week have already naturally dissipated or evaporated.

Rising European stocks and a weaker dollar supported gold Thursday, but the yellow metal remained tethered to the previous day's closing price on light volume and a lack of anything that encouraged risk taking.

Imperial Oil Ltd said on Wednesday it will go ahead with an C$8.9 billion ($8.65 billion) plan to double the size of its Kearl oil sands project, even as it said total costs for the massive mining operation have climbed by nearly a quarter.

Gold lost early gains Friday, along with stocks and the euro, as an unexpectedly high number of Eurozone banks queued up for low-interest loans reminded investors of just how widespread Europe's sovereign debt crisis has become.

Global stocks and commodities fell Wednesday as investors shrugged off heavy European Central Bank lending and eyed a troublesome U.S. earnings report.

Gold prices rose Tuesday with other commodities and global equities on unexpected signs the U.S. housing market is turning around and continued improvement in the Eurozone.

Gold prices rose more than 1 percent and silver popped nearly 2 percent Tuesday on fresh evidence the struggling U.S. housing industry is recovering plus rising German business sentiment that boosted investors' risk appetite.

Gold prices hovered in a tight range Monday as doubts that Eurozone banks have enough access to cash and the uncertainties about the severity of the continent's recession offset physical demand from Asian buyers.

South Korea has imposed fresh sanctions involving limiting of financial transactions on Iran to force it to scrap its suspected nuclear weapons programme.

Global stocks and commodities, including much-battered gold prices, rose Friday on fresh evidence that neither Eurozone troubles nor Asian weakness are deterring U.S. economic growth.

World stocks rose on Friday after upbeat U.S. data and corporate results, while concerns over the European banking sector and nervousness about potential ratings downgrades in European sovereign debt underpinned German government bonds.

Buoyed by renewed pledges of customer support, TransCanada Corp said on Thursday it not only wants to proceed with its stalled Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL oil pipeline but to undertake a $600 million expansion and extension.

Gold prices extended losses to a fourth session Thursday but the decline was far less than the previous day's plunge as weaker crude oil prices offset support from dollar weakness.

Crude oil prices advanced in Europe trade on Thursday, after plunging to their lowest level in more than five weeks in the previous session.

Asian shares fell into bear market territory for the year and commodities and the euro nursed stinging losses Thursday, after fears that Europe's debt crisis is still worsening prompted investors to dump riskier assets and huddle in the safety of the dollar and Treasuries.