Economics  

10 October 2008 - AEST 8.30am - In the US, stocks gave up early gains with credit markets continuing to be the major concern - The Aussie dollar rose sharply throughout the European session before ending weaker - Crude oil prices eased again on Thursday - The concerns over a global slowdown continued to weigh on prices, with the front month contract hitting a 11 month low - China is expected to halt auto fuel imports for the second month in a row - The October Nymex crude quote fell by US$2.36 or 2.7pct to US$86.59 a barrel - Base metal prices rallied on the LME following a week of sharp falls. Zinc gained 4.7pct with Lead up 6.2pct - The price of gold reversed previous gains as investors opted for cash.