RIO DE JANEIRO -- Retail sales in Brazil, one of the engines of the country's economy, fell by 0.1 percent in November 2020 against October, ending six consecutive monthly increases, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics reported on Friday.

Rising inflation, which led to reduced supermarket sales, was the main reason for the decline. (Brazil-Retail)

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NEW YORK -- U.S.-listed Chinese companies traded mostly lower on Friday with six of the top 10 stocks by weight in the S&P U.S. Listed China 50 index ending the day on a downbeat note.

Shares of NIO and Baidu slid 7.56 percent and 4.07 percent, respectively, leading the laggards in the top 10 stocks in the index. (US-Chinese Firms-Stock)

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NEW YORK -- Wall Street's major averages slipped on Friday as investors pored through President-elect Joe Biden's proposed COVID-19 aid plan and the December U.S. retail sales data.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased 177.26 points, or 0.57 percent, to end at 30,814.26. The S&P 500 fell 27.29 points, or 0.72 percent, to 3,768.25. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 114.14 points, or 0.87 percent, to 12,998.50. (US-Stocks-Drop)

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NEW YORK -- Oil prices dipped on Friday as traders continued to worry about weaker fuel demand amid a surging pandemic.

The West Texas Intermediate for February delivery lost 1.21 U.S. dollars to settle at 52.36 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for March delivery decreased 1.32 dollars to close at 55.10 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange. (US-Oil price-Down)