Business news for Mon, 31 Dec 2007 & with words rose+york. 3 news.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Defaults on privately insured mortgages rose 34.7 percent in November to the highest level on record, reflecting the inability of a growing number of homeowners to keep current on their loan payments.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures fell for the first time in six days on Monday, as the dollar, which tends to move in the opposite direction of gold, rose for the first day in six against a basket of major currencies. Gold futures for February delivery lost $3.7, or 0.4%, to $839 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It fell to an intraday lower of $836.1 earlier. The dollar index, which tracks the value of the greenback against a basket of major currencies, moved up for the first time in six days. The dollar also gained against the euro.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Crude-oil futures rose modestly on Monday, boosted by continued concerns on political tensions in Pakistan and tight supplies in the U.S. Crude futures for February delivery gained 60 cents, or 0.6%, to $96.6 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It rose to an intraday high of $96.78 earlier in electronic trading. "The geopolitical upheaval triggered by the [former Pakistani prime minister Benazir] Bhutto assassination could get stirred up again ahead of the January 8th elections," said Edward Meir, an analyst at futures brokerage MF Global, in a research note.