Materials Rise as U.S. Dollar Weakens -- Materials Roundup

Shares of mining companies and other commodities producers rose as the dollar weakened.

Gold futures advanced for the fifth straight session amid concerns about political stability and the slide in the value of the dollar against other major currencies. The ICE Dollar Index, which gauges the U.S. currency against a basket of six others, was recently down 0.7% at 98.22, its lowest level since early November.

Activist investor Elliott Management shifted in its attack on Anglo-Australian mining company BHP Billiton, backing off calls for it to have a single stock-market listing in the United Kingdom, which met resistance from the Australian government and BHP shareholders. Elliott is now pushing a new approach to the petroleum unit as the core of its BHP recommendations.

Rob Curran, rob.curran@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 16, 2017 17:30 ET (21:30 GMT)