CALDEIRÃO DE BOLSA

8:32am 10/14/04 US WEEKLY JOBLESS CLAIMS +15,000 TO 352,000
8:33am 10/14/04 US FOUR-WEEK AVERAGE JOBLESS CLAIMS +4,000 TO 353,000
8:33am 10/14/04 US SEPT. IMPORT PRICES UP 0.2%
8:33am 10/14/04 US SEPT. OIL IMPORT PRICES UP 0.6%
8:34am 10/14/04 US SEPT. OIL IMPORT PRICES UP 48.7% IN PAST YEAR

U.S. weekly jobless claims rise in latest week

WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- The number of people filing for state unemployment insurance rose in the latest week, the Labor Department said Thursday.
Initial claims rose 15,000 to 352,000 in the week ended Oct. 9, while the four-week average of claims rose 4,000 to 353,000.
That's the highest four-week average since the week ended February 28.
Economists generally prefer to track the four-week average, since it smoothes out weekly distortions caused by weather and other one-time events.
Economists had been expecting about 340,000 claims in the latest week, according to a survey conducted by CBS MarketWatch.


U.S. import prices up 0.2% in September

WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- Record high oil prices caused the prices of imported goods to rise 0.2 percent in September, the Labor Department said Thursday.
Prices of imported oil rose 0.6 percent in the month, while overall export prices rose 0.4 percent.
Economists polled by CBS MarketWatch were expecting an overall rise of 0.5 percent in September.
There were no price declines in any of the major sub-categories of imports.
Non-oil imports rose 0.1 percent in September, the eleventh consecutive month without a decline.

8:30am 10/14/04 U.S. AUG. TRADE GAP WIDENS 6.9% TO $54.0 BLN
8:30am 10/14/04 U.S. AUG. TRADE GAP ABOVE CONSENSUS OF $51.6 BLN
8:30am 10/14/04 U.S. AUG. TRADE GAP WITH CHINA RECORD $15.4 BLN

ECONOMIC REPORT: Trade gap widens sharply in August; Imported oil lifts deficit to second highest level on record
By Gregory Robb, CBS Marketwatch.com
Last Update: 8:30 AM ET Oct. 14, 2004

WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) - America's thirst for imported oil boosted the trade deficit to its second highest level on record, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

The trade deficit widened 6.9 percent to $54.0 billion in August.

This is only slightly below the record $55.0 billion deficit set in June.

The trade deficit was wider than expected. Wall Street economists had predicted that the deficit would widen to $51.6 billion in August. See Economic Calendar

Economists could be forced to trim back their estimates for third quarter GDP growth as a result of the August trade gap.

Imports rose much faster than exports in August.

Imports rose 2.5 percent to a record $150.1 billion.

Exports rose a slight 0.1 percent to $96.0 billion, the second highest level on record.

Imports of goods alone rose 2.1 percent to $124.8 billion. Imports of non-petroleum products hit a record in August, with imports of autos reaching the second highest level on record.

Exports of goods alone fell 0.1 percent to $67.4 billion. Exports of civilian aircraft fell 36.6 percent to $675 million. Exports of agricultural products were at their lowest level since Oct. 2002.

Oil

But it was the larger quantity and higher cost of imported oil that did the most to widen the deficit in August.

The petroleum deficit widened 11.7 percent to a record $14.1 billion in August.

The U.S. imported 331.2 million barrels of crude oil in August, or 10.7 million barrels per day, up from 318.8 million or 10.3 million barrels in July.

The average price per barrel of oil rose sharply to $36.37 in August from $33.28 in July. This is the largest increase since January and the highest monthly average price since June 1981.

As a result, the import value of crude oil set a record of $12.0 billion in August.

The U.S. imported a record amount of this imported oil from OPEC, leading to a record $7.0 billion deficit with the members of the oil cartel.

China

The U.S. trade deficit with China widened to a record $15.4 billion in August compared with $11.7 billion in the same month last year.

Imports from China hit a record $18.1 billion in August. The U.S. exported $2.7 billion of goods to China.