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Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it posted a $100 million profit in the first quarter, led by strong results from Europe and South America that helped offset slumping U.S. sales, the Associated Press reported.

Durable goods orders fell 0.3% in March, though bookings excluding transportation orders increased, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

Initial jobless claims fell by 33,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Parts maker Commercial Vehicle Group said it earned $500,000, or 2 cents a share, in the first quarter, compared with $3 million, or 14 cents, a year ago.

Truckload carrier Knight Transportation’s first-quarter profit fell to $11.4 million, or 13 cents a share, from $16.6 million, or 19 cents, a year ago.

Vitran Corp. said late Wednesday its first-quarter profit fell to $1.1 million, or 8 cents a share, from $3.4 million, or 25 cents, a year earlier.

Truckload carrier Celadon Group’s fiscal third-quarter net income fell to $149,000, or 1 cent per share, compared with $3.9 million, or 17 cents, a year ago.

Crude oil prices fell for the first time in four days Wednesday, a day after setting a closing-price record of more than $119 a barrel, Bloomberg reported.

I am interested in the feedback on fuel prices displayed in “Letters to the Editor.” Unfortunately, most of the letters did not focus on two salient facts affecting the price of oil. The first is the dismal exchange rate of the U.S. dollar versus the euro, and the second is world demand for petroleum products.