Free Republic

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Crude oil futures fell on Monday, with U.S. futures touching levels not seen since 1999, extending weakness on the back of sliding demand and concerns that U.S. storage facilities will soon fill to the brim amid the coronavirus pandemic. The oil market has been under pressure due to a spate of reports on weak fuel consumption and grim forecasts from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the International Energy Agency. The volume of oil held in U.S. storage, especially at Cushing, Oklahoma, the delivery point for the U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) contract, is...

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese stocks thudded to a 20-year closing low on Friday, with Toyota Motor Corp and other blue chips hurt by pension fund selling and worries about sluggish demand in the global economy. Auto giant Toyota, top retailer Ito-Yokado Co Ltd and other issues that have a relatively high weighting in corporate pension funds were among the biggest losers. The Nikkei average slid 2.05 percent to 7,816.49, its lowest level since January 1983. It was down 3.19 percent on the week. The broader TOPIX index fell 1.28 percent on the day to 782.25. "Big stocks like Sony and...