In response to Tuesday's announcement, Fitzgibbon argued that thelowerthanexpectedprice was a result of Commerce's weak negotiating position due to the regulatory issues, coupled with the thinning out of potential buyers due to the distractions of the summer's credit crisis.
The March producer price index showed wholesale inflation was lowerthanexpected, with the overall index down 0.6% in March versus 0.3% expected, as energy costs fell.
Orders for the IPO of Russia's primary stock exchange were more than two times oversubscribed, but the deal was expected to price at thelower end of its range.