MarketWatch

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The House of Representatives on Thursday approved extending some federal unemployment insurance benefits, but since the Senate has not yet agreed to an extension, more than 1 million jobless workers remain cut off from the weekly checks. House lawmakers voted 270 to 153 to approve a six-month extension for the benefits, funding [...]

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Crude-oil prices fell 3.5% on Thursday, moderating some losses as the stock market clawed back from steeper declines. A string of negative macroeconomic reports knocked down equities and most commodities, but natural gas futures bucked the trend after a government report showed a smaller-than-expected rise in inventories. August crude lost $2.68 [...]

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Gold futures ended 3.2% lower on Thursday as markets broadly sold off and Treasurys took over gold’s customary safety appeal. Gold for August delivery was off $39.20, or 3.2%, to $1,206.70 an ounce. It was bullion’s biggest one-day drop since February 4, when gold lost 4.4%. Silver retreated 92 cents, or [...]

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Nissan Motors said Thursday that its U.S. June sales increased by 10.8% to 64,570 vehicles from 58,298 in the year-ago period. Truck sales drove the increase, rising 20.8% to 21,896 vehicles, compared with a 6.2% increase in car sales to 42,674 vehicles. Read the full story on MarketWatch

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Honda Motor Co. said Thursday its June U.S. sales rose 6.2% to 106,627 vehicles from 100,420 in the year-ago period. Total car sales increased by 7.8% to 62,229, and total truck sales grew by 3.9% to 44,398 vehicles. Honda brand sales for June rose 4% to 95,788 units, and Acura brand [...]

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday that its U.S. June sales rose by 6.8% to 140,604 vehicles from 131,654 in the year ago period. Passenger car sales were the weakest catagory with Toyota sales falling 2.2% to 73,811 vehicles, and Lexus sales declining 6.6% to 8,149 units. Total light truck sales increased [...]

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Individual investors increased their holdings of stocks in June, though still keep a smaller percentage than average in equities, according to the American Association of Individual Investors. Investors held 52.9% of assets in stocks and stock funds, up 1.9 percentage points from May and compared to the historical average of 60%, [...]

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — Shares of home health-care providers Almost Family Inc. and Amedisys Inc. fell sharply Thursday on news that the Securities and Exchange Commission was investigating the companies. In separately released statements, both companies said the SEC had subpoenaed documents related to an on-going investigation by the Senate Finance Committee into their Medicare billing [...]

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Open interest in gold futures hit a record high of 605,792 contracts on Wednesday, the CME Group reported. This volume tops 603,688 contracts set on June 25. Gold futures posted a record high of $1,258.30 an ounce on June 18, sparking heightened investor interest. Open interest on Thursday hovered around 360,000 [...]

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Porsche Cars North America said Thursday that its vehicle sales in the U.S. rose to 2,141 units last month, an increase of 137 percent, fueled by its new Panamera and classic 911 lines. For the first half, Porsche has now sold 10,984 new vehicles, an increase of 14% over the same [...]