FUNDAMENTALS
* NYMEX crude futures for May delivery slipped 24 cents to $103.74 a barrel by 0001 GMT, adding to losses of more than $1 the previous session. The market has fallen around $2 since Wednesday.
* Libyan rebels took the town of Nawfaliyah and moved towards Sirte, Gaddafi's home town and an important military base, in the sixth week of an uprising against his 41-year rule. [ID:nLDE72R009]
* U.S. President Barack Obama said military actions taken by coalition forces have stopped Gaddafi's forces from advancing. [ID:nWEN0156]
* A U.S. Treasury official said rebels could sell Libyan crude free from sanctions imposed against transactions with the Gaddafi's government.
* The United Arab Emirates said it has "stepped in" to help make for lost output from Libya, and acknowledged that other OPEC producers have done the same by unilaterally boosting output, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Angola. [ID:nLDE72R248]
* In Syria, forces fired into the air to disperse a pro-democracy protest in the southern flashpoint city of Deraa, where reformists want to overthrow the 41-year rule of the Assad family. [ID:nLDE72R0XJ]
* Talks in Yemen to broker a transition from President Ali Abdullah Saleh to his opponents have stalled in a public game of brinkmanship, but sources close to the talks said a deal was still within reach. [ID:nLDE72R0JA]
* U.S. crude oil inventories likely rose last week in keeping with seasonal trends and with imports expected to be rising to meet demand as refiners bring units back from maintenance, a preliminary Reuters survey of analysts showed.
MARKET NEWS
* The euro rose on expectations of higher euro-zone interest rates while U.S. stocks slipped as concerns about the Middle East and Japan outweighed positive economic data.
* U.S. consumers increased spending for an eighth straight month in February, but much of the gain went to cover rising food and energy costs, providing only a modest lift to the economy. [ID:nN28176308]
* Plutonium found in soil at the crippled Fukushima nuclear complex heightened alarm over Japan's protracted battle to contain the world's worst atomic crisis in 25 years. [ID:nL3E7ES2ND]
* Portugal's president decided to call a council of state on March 31 to consider when to hold a snap election as the country's bond yields spiked to record highs on political uncertainty after the prime minister resigned. [ID:nLDE72R1RI]
DATA/EVENTS (GMT)
1400 U.S. Consumer confidence Mar
2030 U.S. API petroleum stocks Weekly 2300 S.Korea GDP growth yy Revised Oct 2010 2350 Japan Industrial output prelim mm Feb 2011 2350 Japan IP forecast 1 mth ahead Feb 2011 For the latest updates PRESS CTR + D or visit Stock Market news Today
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