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FTC opens probe into possible oil, gasoline manipulation

June 20, 2011

Federal regulators have begun investigating possible manipulation of the oil and gasoline markets, The Hill reports. The probe is looking at producers, refiners, transporters, marketers and traders.

The head of the Federal Trade Commission, Jon Leibowitz, disclosed the investigation in a letter today to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.

Leibowitz noted that from January to early May, refiners’ margins had jumped 90% while production capacity had dropped 7% from the year before, to just under 82%.

Article: USA TODAY

Supreme Court limits Wal-Mart sex discrimination case

WASHINGTON — In blocking a huge sex discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Monday, the Supreme Court made it harder for all workers to join together and challenge alleged bias that may not arise from a clear company policy.

The decade-old Wal-Mart case had been the largest job-discrimination class action in history, potentially covering 1.5 million women with potentially billions of dollars in liability for the nation’s largest private employer.

By separate 5-4 and 9-0 votes, the high court said the class action against Wal-Mart had been improperly certified.

Article: USA TODAY