Oil nears $73 as supplies drop, ahead of Fed

Date: Wed, 16 Dec 2009

OIL NEAR $73 AS SUPPLIES DROP, AHEAD OF FED
Futures jump 3% to trade near $73 a barrel, after a report that U.S.
crude inventories fell more than expected last week.

ENERGY STOCKS UP ON BULLISH OIL SUPPLY DATA
Energy stocks rose early Wednesday on a set of surprisingly bullish
weekly U.S. oil supply numbers and ahead of an announcement on
interest rates from the Federal Open Market Committee.

BEN BERNANKE NAMED TIME'S PERSON OF YEAR
Time magazine names Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke its person
of the year for 2009, saying the weak economy could have been far
worse if not for the mild-mannered academic.

TIME PICKS A WINNER WITH BERNANKE
Time made the right choice when it picked Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke as
Person of the Year, writes Jon Friedman.

FED STARTS LAST POLICY MEETING OF YEAR
Federal Reserve policy makers gather Tuesday afternoon for a two-day
closed-door meeting, and economists expect the central bank will end
the year on a steady note in order not to roil the skittish financial
markets.