A hurricane warning prompted a rush on petrol stations early today in south-east Florida, where people were advised to stock up on necessities and take safety precautions ahead of Tropical Storm Katrina.

Wall Street managed a moderate advance today as investors concentrated on solid second-quarter earnings and shrugged off higher oil prices and a drop in US petroleum reserves.

Hurricane Dennis flooded roads in Haiti and threatened a direct hit on Jamaica, pushing oil prices sharply higher and becoming the second storm to threaten oil output in the Gulf of Mexico.

US stocks tumbled today as oil prices climbed to a new record on fears of refining shortages and caused investors to look past a report showing strong growth in the service sector of the economy.