Downward slide: Oil benchmark prices per barrel plunged more than 10% to multiyear lows today as OPEC’s allies rejected additional production cuts that the organization proposed Thursday, CNBC reports. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude slid 10.07%, to $41.28, its lowest level since Aug. 2016. International benchmark Brent crude slid 9.4% to $45.27 per barrel. The current production cuts decided by OPEC will be in place until the end of March as planned, but it’s uncertain if they will extend beyond this month. Read the full story.
Employment breakdown: The construction industry added 42,000 net new jobs in February, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has expanded by 223,000 jobs, an increase of 3%. Nonresidential construction employment increased by 19,800 jobs on net in February and is up by 139,900 net jobs over the last 12 months. See the full report.
Mystery: A four-part docuseries will premiere tonight at 7 p.m. on FX based on a best-selling book written by a Baton Rouge man who claims the Zodiac Killer is his father, WAFB-TV reports. Baton Rouge resident Gary Stewart believes the elusive killer is his biological father and explained his reasoning in his 2014 book, “The Most Dangerous Animal of All: Searching for My Father… and Finding the Zodiac Killer.” Read the full story.
