Mitt Romney won the Republican presidential primaries in Maryland and Washington D.C., television networks projected, boosting his lead in the delegate count over chief rival Rick Santorum.

The premium paid for arabica beans favored by Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) over the robusta used by Nestle SA (NESN) may rally from a 20-month low because of a surge in supply from Vietnam, the biggest grower of the less costly coffee.

The dollar declined against most of its major peers as signs of recovery in the U.S. economy sapped demand for the relative safety of the world’s reserve currency.

Oil dropped after the biggest gain in six weeks as a forecast for rising inventories in the U.S., the world’s biggest consumer of crude, signaled fuel demand may be faltering.

UBS AG (UBSN) said Tokyo-based chief equity strategist Shoji Hirakawa has left the company along with three analysts covering electronics, media and insurance companies.

rade sentiment remained mixed Friday as players monitored the days data releases, Eurozone ECONFIN discussions as well as carrying-out month and quarter-end related book squaring. The precious metals closed the day in positive territory up a net 0.85% after gold continued to base build above $1650 while the PGMs saw more of a mixed day. On the month the precious metals saw disappointing results with gold and platinum down around 2% while silver and palladium declined 7%; on the quarter however the metals gained with gold up 6.6%, silver 15.8% and platinum 17.5%, palladium was up just 0.1%.

Corn for May delivery climbed as much as 1.6 percent to $6.545 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade, the highest since March 26. Futures traded at $6.54 by 9:26 a.m. Melbourne time. Soybeans for May delivery rose 0.6 percent to $14.1175 a bushel, while May-delivery wheat gained 0.5 percent to $6.6425 a bushel.

Oil advanced for a second day in New York as investors bet that fuel demand may increase on signs of a strengthening economy in China, the world’s second-biggest crude-consuming nation.

South Korea’s won rose to its strongest level in more than a week and government bonds fell after the government reported a bigger-than-expected trade surplus and Europe stepped up efforts to tackle its debt crisis.

Treasuries fell for a second day following a report that showed an expansion at Chinese factories in March and before data this week that economists said will show U.S. manufacturing and employment increased.

YPF SA (YPFD), Argentina’s largest oil company, is set to lose its most productive field after Chubut province said it plans to revoke more of the company’s licenses.

Ford Motor Co. (F), determined to lift the lid on Lincoln sales, is popping the top on the newest model in its luxury line: The MKZ sedan arriving later this year will feature a retractable glass roof.

Singapore 30/03/2012 - Gold prices firmed during Friday afternoon trading in Asia as the euro made gains against the dollar ahead of a eurozone finance ministers' meeting that may nearly double the bailout capacity of the single currency bloc.

Claims for unemployment benefits fell to the lowest since April 2008 and consumer confidence reached the second-highest level in four years, indicating the labor-market recovery is helping sustain demand.

Oil rose in New York, trimming a third weekly drop, as investors bet that sanctions on Iran will tighten and that yesterday’s decline, the biggest this year, was exaggerated.