Aug. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Hurricane Gustav strengthened to a "dangerous'' Category 4 storm that threatens to hurt U.S. oil and natural-gas production and refining more severely than hurricanes Katrina and Rita did three years ago. Gustav will probably become a Category 5 storm today as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico. The storm already has shut almost three-quarters of oil output in the region and refineries operated by Valero Energy Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp. There will be a special trading session today ... Read More

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands - The well known Gustav became a hurricane on Friday for the second time as it plowed toward Cayman Islands, the start of a buildup that could take it to the U.S. Gulf Coast as a fearsome Category-3 storm just three years after Hurricane Katrina. Gustav  killed 71 people in the Caribbean and now it is expected to swirl through the Cayman Islands, a tiny offshore tax haven studded with resorts and cruise-ship souvenier shops, before crossing Cuba's ... Read More