Gold advanced to the highest in seven weeks, boosted as investor confidence in the dollar waivered amid doubts US interest rates will rise this year.

THE world’s largest personal computer maker, Hewlett-Packard, yesterday said first-quarter profit rose 26% after the company won consumer sales away from Dell Inc.

Nervous US investors sent stocks skidding today as a terrorist attack in Madrid overshadowed mostly good economic news and bullish forecasts from several companies.