3:11pm 01/15/04
Benchmark Treasurys end higher on low-inflation view ($TNX) By Rachel Koning
CHICAGO (CBS.MW) -- Longer-maturity Treasurys ended higher and their yields fell Thursday, helped by renewed expectations for mild inflation. The benchmark 10-year Treasury note ended up 6/32 at 102 7/32. Its yield fell to a 3 1/2-month low 3.97 percent vs. 3.99 percent at Wednesday's close.
10:46am 01/15/04
U.S. mortgage rates tumble in latest week (FRE) By Steve Kerch
CHICAGO (CBS.MW) -- U.S. mortgage rates fell sharply in the week ending Thursday, responding to a decline in bond rates in the last few days. Freddie Mac (FRE) said Thursday that the national average interest rate on a 30-year mortgage dropped to 5.66 percent from 5.87 percent a week earlier. The rate on the 15-year loan, a popular refinancing choice, slid below 5 percent at 4.97 percent. One-year, Treasury-indexed, adjustable-rate mortgages also fell, averaging 3.62 percent versus 3.76 percent a week ago.
3:18pm 01/15/04
Natural-gas futures fall 8.5%, lead energy prices lower By Myra P. Saefong
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- An 8.5 percent drop in February natural gas to a six-week closing low of $5.845 per million British thermal units led energy futures broadly lower on the New York Mercantile Exchange. February crude fell $1.06, or 3.1 percent, to close at $33.44 per barrel, after climbing earlier to a high of $35.21. February heating oil fell 3.9 percent to close at 92.99 cents a gallon, and February unleaded gasoline closed at 93.29 cents a gallon, down 5.9 percent.
Crude futures fall under $34 a barrel By Myra P. Saefong
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Crude futures have fallen to a one-week low under $34 per barrel from a mid-March high above $35 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, with 15 minutes still left in the session. John Person, head financial analyst at Infinity Brokerage Services said there's a nearly $4 premium built into crude prices and traders expect milder weather in much of the U.S. next week to give the market a chance to rebuild its crude supplies. February crude is at $33.58, down 92 cents. February natural gas is still sharply lower, down 7.9 percent at $5.885 per million British thermal units. |
