(Reuters) - Oil prices fell more than 3 percent on Monday after U.S. forces killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden following a decade of military operations across central Asia and the Middle East. Brent crude futures for June slumped $4.22 to a low of $121.67 a barrel before bouncing back to around $124.40 by 1225 GMT. Last month Brent hit a 32-month high above $127. U.S. crude slid $1.25 to $112.68.

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(Reuters) - Industrials led the Dow higher on Friday following a strong quarter and outlook from Caterpillar, and the index looked set to notch its best month since December. The blue-chip index is up 4 percent for the month, while the S&P has risen 2.7 percent and the Nasdaq is up 3.2 percent, also on track for its best month of the year, though it edged lower in April's final session on disappointing news from Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Research in Motion (RIMM.O).

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(Reuters) - The U.S. economy is not fully recovered from its deep recession with housing still weighing on growth, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Friday in a speech on the importance of community development. "Our economy is far from where we would like it to be," he said in remarks prepared for delivery to a conference. The Fed earlier this week said it will see its $600 billion bond buying program, launched in November to spur a sluggish recovery, through to its planned conclusion at the end of June.

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(Reuters) - Caterpillar Inc recorded a fivefold profit surge and raised its 2011 profit forecast as customers bought new heavy equipment to replace old machines that aged during the economic downturn. The world's biggest maker of earth-moving gear said on Friday that strong demand for equipment used in mining helped revenue rise, while demand for construction equipment has been slow to recover -- a trend that it said allows it plenty of room to grow sales and profit in the coming years.

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(Reuters) - Chevron Corp (CVX.N), the second-largest U.S. oil company, reported a larger-than-expected 36 percent rise in earnings on Friday, as oil prices surged and refining improved along with global fuel demand. Oil company profits have been boosted by the jump in crude prices above $100 per barrel last quarter because of a growing need for energy worldwide as well as unrest in the Middle East and North Africa.

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(Reuters) - Like the little boy who cried wolf too often, BlackBerry maker Research In Motion has to prove it really can deliver on ambitious promises about its next generation of gadgets. RIM on Thursday slashed its sales and earnings forecasts, a third body blow in just over a month after an anemic forecast in late March and the troubled launch of an as-yet underwhelming competitor to the red-hot Apple iPad last week.

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(Reuters) - U.S. consumer spending rose in March as households stretched to cover higher costs for food and gasoline, with inflation posting its biggest year-on-year rise in 10 months. Despite the rising cost of living, consumers grew a bit optimistic about the economy this month and even dialed down their expectations for inflation over the next five to 10 years, another report showed on Friday.

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(Reuters) - Wall Street edged lower on Thursday after data showed the U.S. economy grew less than expected in the first quarter and a number of companies pointed to rising costs, but the Nasdaq remained close to its 10-year high reached in the previous session. The slowdown in the economy extended to a report showing new U.S. claims for unemployment benefits surprisingly rose last week to their highest level since January, but investors said they needed to see more data before calling an end to the rally.

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(Reuters) - U.S. economic growth braked sharply in the first quarter as higher food and gasoline prices dampened consumer spending, and sent a broad measure of inflation rising at its fastest pace in 2-1/2 years. Another report on Thursday showed a surprise rise in the number of Americans claiming unemployment benefits last week, which could cast a shadow on expectations for a significant pick-up in output in the second quarter.

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(Reuters) - Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell Plc reported big jumps in first quarter earnings and beat forecasts, thanks to high oil prices and healthy refining margins. Exxon Mobil said first quarter net income rose to $10.65 billion, up 69 percent on the same period last year and ahead of an average forecast of $9.99 billion, helped by its takeover of XTO Energy last year.

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