U.S. stocks rise as oil drops, dollar firms

Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:04:32 -0400
U.S. stocks rise as oil drops, dollar firms

U.S. stocks rise, helped by another drop in oil prices and a firmer
dollar, with investors buying up battered shares of refiners as well as
mining firms after Xstrata's $10 billion hostile bid for Lonmin, the
world's third largest platinum miner.

Freddie results make government bailout more likely, experts say

SAN FRANCISCO
Freddie Mac's $821 million second-quarter loss on Wednesday makes it
more likely that the government will have to bail out the mortgage
giant, experts said on Wednesday.

Futures Movers: Crude futures mark three-session loss as traders sort
supply data

Crude-oil futures pare their losses, but remain below the $119-a-barrel
mark to trade near a three-month low on inventory reports.
.

Emerging Markets Report: Rand falls as nationwide strike hits South
Africa

The South African rand extends its losses against the U.S. dollar, as
trade unions stage a nationwide strike to protest against soaring food
and electricity prices, disrupting activity in mining and other key
sectors of Africa's biggest economy.

MarketWatch First Take: Time Warner's still stuck in AO-Hell

Time Warner is still in AO-Hell, and its failure to make inroads on a
sale of its much-maligned America Online property continues to dog the
media giant.