Quick Overview

• Initial jobless claims slipped by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 313,000 in the week ending July 1, the Labor Department said.
  
  

• The National Association of Realtors reported its May index for pending sales of existing homes rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.3% to 113.4 from April's 111.9.
  
  

• The Institute for Supply Management's non-manufacturing index was 57.0 down from 60.1 in May (50 and above point to expanding activity)
  
  

• New Zealand's unemployment rate was 3.9% in the first quarter of 2006.
  

• The Bank of Indonesia cut its key interest rate from 12.50% to 12.25%.
  

• The U.S. Department of Energy said that:
  Supplies of crude oil were down 2.4 million barrels to 341.3 million barrels.
  Supplies of unleaded gasoline were up 700,000 barrels
  Supplies of heating oil supplies were up 600,000 barrels.
  Over the past four weeks, gasoline demand is up 1.4% YoY