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Puerto Rico will fail to make Aug.1 payment, signaling default

Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla shocked investors in June when he said the island’s debt, totaling $72 billion, was unpayable and required restructuring. According to a 2014 bond offering statement, Puerto Rico has never defaulted on the payment of principal or interest of debt. “Tomorrow is Aug. 1 and we don’t have the money,” Victor Suarez, chief of staff for Puerto Rico’s governor, told journalists in San Juan, referring

Wall Street ends lower as weak oil weighs

Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) shares dropped 4.58 percent while Chevron (CVX.N) lost 4.89 percent after reporting poor quarterly earnings due to weak oil prices. Despite the S&P’s negative close on Friday, half of the 10 major S&P 500 sectors were higher, with the utilities index’s (.SPLRCU) 0.98 percent rise leading the advancers.