Markets to Watch Today

Crude Oil: November Crude Oil drops again on Friday, unable to pull away from the $60 a barrel mark after Thursday’s gains. Concerns of slowing economic growth in the U.S., coupled with what has turned out to be a tame hurricane season, continue to be the underlying factors behind Crude Oil’s weakness. November Crude Oil futures fell $1.04, to settle at $60.55 a barrel.

Natural Gas: Natural Gas futures finished off a bearish week with additional declines. With increasing inventories and no cold weather on the immediate horizon, sellers took control of the trading action. Friday’s sell-off placed Natural Gas futures at their lowest closing price for a front-month contract since February 2004. October Natural Gas fell 15 cents, to settle at $4.627 per million British thermal units.

Gold: December Gold futures rose again on Friday, ending the week with gains exceeding $12 an ounce. The 2% weekly gains were supported by strong physical demand from overseas and recent weakness in the U.S. dollar. December Gold futures gained $7.10, to settle at $595.40 a troy ounce.