Oil is falling in early morning trade as the dollar strengthened against the euro. In addition, traders are rattled by the increase in U.S. crude stockpiles amid sluggish energy demand. Gold, meanwhile, is up slightly and seen furthering its record highs in coming days as anxiety about the global economy continues to pump up demand for safe haven assets. At 0750 ET, Brent crude is 1.1% weaker at $77.06 a barrel, while light sweet crude is dow 0.8% at $74.12 a barrel, and natural gas is up 0.6% at $3.99 a million British thermal units. Gold, meanwhile, is up 0.1% at $1,293.50 an ounce, while silver is up 0.1% at $21.08 an ounce, and cooper is up 0.5% at $3.58 a pound. Petrole Brasileiro SA ( PBR ), better known as Petrobras, will be announcing the price of the world's largest share offer later in the day. According to Bloomberg, Brazil's government will be increasing its stake in Petrobras to 55% from 39%, as the authorities backed the energy giant's $78 billion share sale. Shares in the company are 0.6% weaker pre-market on the NYSE. Workers at Total SA ( TOT ) and Petroplus Holdings AG (PPHN) have gone on strike in France, leading to a fall in output at French refineries. In the mining sector, Australian giant BHP Billiton Ltd ( BHP ) faces a lawsuit from Potash Corp of Saskatchewan Inc ( POT ) for allegedly making false and misleading statements. Potash has rejected BHP's $130 a share offer, and the fertilizer group said it has started talks with third parties.

Source