The economic news from London is a bit encouraging as the Office for National Statistics announced that 13,700 fewer jobless-benefit claims were made in March, representing the largest reduction in claims in one month since July 2010. It is expected that the improved figures will help to boost the popularity of Prime Minister David Cameron… Continue Reading
Recent data from the INSEE national statistics institute has revealed that France’s economy has not advanced at all in the first quarter. The news is hardly a surprise, as France grapples with low household demand, a drop in investments, reduced exports and increasing levels of imports. Though France, one of the largest economies in the… Continue Reading
Contrary to previous forecasts, China’s economy faced a minor setback this past April as output data disappointed, retail sales fell and prices were eased slightly. Industrial output advanced at its slowest pace in three years, while fixed asset investment growth fell to its lowest in nearly a decade. The falter reveals that the real estate… Continue Reading
International investors are not only concerned with how well their investments will do in a region, but how easy it is to conduct business there. The following list ranks the countries in which doing business is relatively easy: 1. Singapore 2. Hong Kong SAR, China 3. New Zealand 4. United States 5. Denmark Continue Reading
Spain’s recession and extremely slow business activity have lowered the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index despite a positive four-month streak. Caterpillar Inc., Monsanto and Bank of America all fell a minimum of 1.7%, while Humana Inc. slid a whopping 8.1%. NYSE Euronext dropped as well, and also recorded an almost 50% fall in revenue. Microsoft’s… Continue Reading
For the first time since the 1970s Britain is facing the reality of double-dip recession. According figures supplied by London’s Office for National Statistics, the gross domestic product shrunk by 0.2 percent in the first quarter of 2012 after contracting by 0.3 percent in the last quarter of 2011. The technical definition of recession is… Continue Reading
Investor concern regarding the ongoing debt crisis and slow economic growth is likely to increase now that oil prices have reached $103 per barrel in Asia. June delivery’s benchmark oil had fallen 13 cents to $102.98 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, and the contract later fell 77 cents to $103.11. Meanwhile, Brent… Continue Reading
World economies are vying for position and power as they begin a plan to raise additional funds for the International Monetary Fund with the goal of limiting the damage the euro zone debt crisis will cause. Emerging economies hope to gain more say in the Washington-based think-tank/global lender and policy making body as they decide… Continue Reading
Financial headlines continue their repetitive, three-year trend, stating once again that debt crisis turmoil and economic confusion have lowered Asian stocks on Monday. Benchmark oil fell to $102 a barrel, and though the dollar gained momentum opposite the euro, it lost value against the yen. The Nikkei also fell 1.4% to 9,502.95 as the yen… Continue Reading
Feelings may be mixed but many believe the U.S. economy is finally scaling the cliff after its plunge several years ago. Meanwhile, recession still looms in Europe and China’s economy is beginning to slow. According to the Bloomberg Comfort index, U.S. consumer confidence has reached a four-year high as the job market improves, stock prices… Continue Reading