IBT Staff Reporter

Gold firmed on Thursday and held within sight of its 16-month high of $726 an ounce, but the metal was seen trading in a tight range before challenging its highest level in nearly three decades.

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.

KDDI Corp., Japan’s second biggest telecommunications operator, announced on Tuesday that it would inject capital into a WiMAX wireless broadband project, teaming up with local partners and Intel Corp.

Apple Inc .will double its iPhone production to nearly double its iPhone production in the fourth quarter, financial news Web site TheStreet.com reported, citing people familiar with the company.

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.

Treasuries slid for the third day Wednesday amid expectations that inflation will continue to increase after the U.S. Federal Reserve’s move to lower interest rates.

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.

Gold prices continued to advance Wednesday on expectations that lower interest rates will weaken the dollar, increasing the desirability of alternative investments.

Data surfacing on Wednesday indicates that consumer prices posted a rare decline in August, while the housing industry saw construction fall to the slowest pace in 12 years.

Energy futures soared on Wednesday following the Fed's half-point rate cut yesterday and new inventory data that surfaced.

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.

Colombia's imports expanded 12.5 percent in August compared with the same month a year earlier, driven by strong domestic demand, according to preliminary government figures.

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.

Diversified manufacturer Honeywell International Inc said on Wednesday it signed a contract to provide major mechanical systems for Airbus's new long-range, wide-body A350 aircraft, and expects to generate more than $16 billion in revenue over the projected 20- to 25-year life of the program.

SAP AG on Wednesday unveiled a long-delayed line of Web-based software called Business ByDesign that costs $149 per user, per month, and is at the heart of a strategy to accelerate the company's sales growth.

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.

U.S. Stocks rallied for a second day on Wednesday as investors bet the Federal Reserve's aggressive rate cut would help prevent an economic slowdown. Housing-related stocks such as home builders and mortgage finance companies were among the biggest percentage gainers in the S&P 500, a day after the Fed cut the benchmark interest rates by a half-percentage point.

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.