U.S. stocks jump ahead, shrug off commodities weakness

Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:01:03 (GMT)

U.S. stocks jump ahead, shrug off commodities weakness

U.S. stocks struggle to bounce back from the commodity-price-induced
stumble of the last session, after the government reports a rise in
weekly jobless claims and Nike Inc. reports strong profits on overseas
demand thanks to the weak dollar.

Economic Report: Economy 'grinding to halt,' leading data say

The U.S. economy may be "grinding to a halt," the Conference Board
says as it reports the index of leading economic indicators marked its
fifth straight decline in February.

The Great Unwind has started, avoid leverage, Citigroup says

As markets and economies de-leverage across the globe, investors should
avoid companies and countries that have grown to rely too much on
borrowed money, Citigroup strategists say.

Commodities in broad sell-off as inflation views change

Prices in a broad range of commodities, from oil and gold to wheat, take
a dive as the dollar continued to advance, one day after the Federal
Reserve cut interest rates and mentioned that concerns over inflation
were back in play.

Mortgages: Rates on long-term mortgages take big drop

Long-term mortgage rates dropped sharply this week, while
adjustable-rate mortgages barely budged from last week's averages,
according to Freddie Mac's weekly survey released Thursday.