Imports fell almost 1.5% as a fall in demand for foreign oil offset a record-level of imported cars. The figures are the latest sign of a stronger American economy. 

 

America's biggest bank JPMorgan Chase has agreed to pay almost two billion dollars to the victims of the massive Ponzi Scheme in the United States. The banking giant has agreed to pay the biggest penalty in history to settle charges that it failed to report suspicious activity relating to Bernie Madoff's Ponzi Scheme. 

 

Modoff's serving a 150-year jail sentence after being convicted in 2009 of defrauding thousands of investors of more than 60 billion dollars. 

 

Let's have a quick look at the market.

 

Wall Street is trading high at the close. The Dow's gaining 123 points. The Nasdaq grows over one percent. And the S&Q 500 climded more than half a percent. In London, the FTSE was up a third of a percent. 

 

To commodity prices.

 

West Texas Crude is trading at 93 US dollars a barrel. Tapis Crude is trading at 113 US dollars a barrel. And gold is worth 1232 US dollars an ounce.

 

Let's look at the Australian dollar: 89.2 US cents, 66 Euro cents and 54 pence sterling.