(Best Syndication News) Commodities in Asia and the United States were down while the dollar gained versus the euro but fell versus the yen (see charts below). Gold, silver, copper and energy futures were all lower. Oil is beginning to rebound since the settle. Precious Metals Lower stock prices and lingering concerns over the Greek debt crisis should have pushed gold higher, but in Japan and the U.S. gold is down for the week and month. The golden metal has been as high as $1,891.90 an ounce, but is down more than two hundred dollar from that high on August 22nd. December gold on the COMEX fell $43.20 (-2.61%) to $1,609.30 a troy ounce Wednesday (see survey #2 settle price chart below). As of 8:10 am Thursday (EST), the price is down another 70 cents to $1617.4. Silver for December delivery on the COMEX fell $1.40 (-4.45%) to $30.13 an ounce. The ratio between gold and silver expanded to 53.4. Platinum on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) fell $43.20 (-2.74%) to $1,534.20 an ounce. Copper prices have declined 13.75 percent over the last week. Some analysts use this metal as a barometer for manufacturing in China. Commodities were all lower on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM). For our exclusive yen/gram to dollar/ounce conversions, see the TOCOM chart below. Energy Prices Brent crude and light sweet crude (WTI) declined sharply on Wednesday, but both futures are higher early Thursday. The Commerce Department released last week’s jobless claims early Thursday. Lower initial claims, down to 391,000 last week, could signal economic improvement. A better economy will translate into a stronger demand for energy. Initial claims were the lowest since April 1st. Early Thursday, news from Europe suggests that Germany is on-board for the latest Greek bailout installment (stability fund). In the United States on Wednesday, the U.S. Energy Department reported that gasoline demand dropped two percent last week compared to the same period last year. November light sweet crude oil (WTI) on the NYMEX declined $3.24 (-3.84%) to $81.21 a barrel. Since the settle on Wednesday, the price is up 77 cents. November Brent crude fell 3.11 percent Wednesday, down to $103.81 on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). Since the settle, the price is up more than one percent to $104.82 a barrel. Currency Exchange Rates Commodity currencies, like the Australian and Canadian dollars, sank while the euro advanced Wednesday (see cross tables below). The dollar fell early versus the euro and yen Wednesday (see average rate below). Later in the day the dollar began to gain versus the euro (see intraday chart below). The USD/JPY hit 76.47, the EUR/USD hit 1.3659, the GBP/USD hit 1.5672, the CAD/USD hit 1.0292, the USD/HKD hit 7.793, and the AUD/USD hit 0.9857.

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