Japanese residents increased their purchase of foreign bonds last week, a negative sign for the world's biggest economy, as investors are not willing to invest money in the nation's economy. The report by the Ministry of Finance showed that Japanese investors bought 494.2 billion yen ($6.0 billion) in overseas bonds and notes in the week ended November 30, while sold
The inflation rate in Switzerland fell unexpectedly in November due to the fall in fuel, rents and food costs, adding to signs that the Swiss National Bank will not remove its cap on the nation's currency. Swiss prices fell 0.4% from a year ago compared to a drop of 0.2% in the prior month, and were down 0.3% on a
The U.K. trade gap widened more than it was initially expected, as exports tumbled, led by a decline in capital goods. The Office for National Statistics said Thursday, that the goods trade deficit rose to 9.54 billion pounds ($15.4 billion) in October, up from 8.44 billion pounds in the previous month. At the same time, exports from the county lost
New applications for the unemployment benefits in the world's biggest economy fell for the third week in a row, as disruptions caused by super storm Sandy waned. The Labor Department said that the number of people who applied for U.S. jobless benefits fell by 25,000 to 370,000 in the week ended December 1, down from 395,000 a week earlier. The
The European Central Bank left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at a record low of 0.75%, after Mario Draghi pledged bank's readiness to buy government bonds, and as a result it lowered borrowing costs and boosted confidence that the Eurozone can emerge from recession next year. In the meantime, the ECB has revised down its region's growth forecasts for 2012
The Bank of Japan claimed its readiness to expand its asset purchase programme to boost economic growth if risks to the outlook heighten, Deputy Governor Kiyohiko Nishimura said on Wednesday. The BoJ is likely to loosen its monetary policy again this month in the face of growing political pressure. Moreover, the bank is planning to keep its stimulus programme in
Swiss cities, such as Zurich, Geneva and Bern, are among top ten places to live worldwide, a survey by a consulting company Mercer showed Wednesday. The low level of crime rate, political stability and good medical facilities are the main reasons why people are showing willingness to live in Switzerland. A survey, which takes into consideration political, social, socio-cultural, economic
The British economy is highly expected to contract by the end of this year, despite the improvement in the third quarter, the Office for Budget Responsibility said Wednesday. The economy will shrink by 0.1% in 2012, down from the previous time of the Budget in March, when the forecasts were for a 0.8% growth. At the same time the economy
The pace of service sector growth in the world's biggest economy continued gaining momentum in November, while the number of new orders rose as well, giving a positive sign for the economy. The Institute for Supply Management said its services index climbed to 54.7 last month, up from 54.2 the month before. The reading came above analysts' expectations of a
Retail sales across the 17 European Union countries that use the single currency fell more than expected in October, adding to concerns that the economy may struggle to pull out of a recession. Sales dropped 1.2% from a month ago, when they fell 0.6%, the EU's statistics office Eurostat said Wednesday. It is the biggest decline since April, when retail
Swiss consumers claimed their readiness to increase spending during Christmas shopping, the Swiss Christmas Retail Survey 2012 made by Deloitte showed on Tuesday. Consumers intend to spend around 996 Swiss francs ($1,076) this season, compared to 955 francs in the year ago. Only about 30% of all nations' consumers consider that they have lower spending power, compared to 41% in
Fears that the U.K. is heading for a triple-dip recession have heightened, as nation's construction sector contracted and confidence about the next 12 months dropped to its lowest level in almost four years. The Markit/CIPS Construction Purchasing Managers' Index tumbled to 49.3 in November, down from 50.3 in October, falling below the 50 level that separates a sector that is
With only few weeks remaining until the beginning of the so-called "fiscal cliff", republicans and democrats countered the president Barack Obama's proposal to avoid the mandatory tax increases and steep spending cuts with total value of $600 billion. However, the uncertainty has already hurt business spending for 2013, and in case politicians do not come up with the decision, the
The number of people in Spain, which are officially registered as unemployed, has edged up toward five million last month, a sign country's recession continues unabated. Spain's number of the jobless jumped 1.5% in November, compared with a month earlier, or by 74,296 people, leaving 4.9 million people out of work, report by the Labor Ministry showed on Tuesday. The
The Japanese government approved another stimulus package in order to support flagging economy, which becomes a key issue in the upcoming December general elections. The cabinet announced that it would tap reserve funds to spend 880bn yen ($10.7bn; £6.7bn) mainly to create employment and support small businesses. This is already the second stimulus package in a little more than a
Retail sales in Switzerland rose less than expected in October, implying that the economy is losing momentum. According to the Switzerland's Federal Statistical Office, retail sales rose 2.7% in October from a year ago, however, missing expectations for a 4.1% gain. The gauge, which measures a change in the total value of inflation, excluding automobiles and gas stations, and accounts
British manufacturing activity contracted much less than was initially expected in November, however, domestic and internal demand remains weak, adding to concern that the sector is still fragile. According to the Markit/CIPS, their Purchasing Managers' Index for the manufacturing sector jumped to 49.1 last month, reaching the highest level since August, up from October's downwardly revised 47.3. In the meanwhile,
Manufacturing in the world's biggest economy unexpectedly contracted last month after two straight months of growth, due to a significant drop in orders. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said its index of national factory activity tumbled to 49.5 in November, compared to 51.7 the month before, reaching the lowest level since July 2009. New orders dropped to 50.3 from
Eurozone manufacturing contracted for a sixteenth consecutive month in November, a sign that the 17-nation economy will struggle to grow in the final three months of the year, Markit survey showed Monday. Manufacturing PMI improved to 46.2 in November from 45.4 in October, meeting analysts' expectations. The reading showed the slowest pace of contraction in eight months, but the downturn
Retail sales in the world's third biggest economy fell by the most in 11 months, a sign of faltering consumer spending which accounts for the majority of overall economic activity.
Swiss economy expanded more than initially expected in the third quarter as government spending rose and exports held up despite the strong Swiss franc.
The U.K. house prices remained unchanged this month, while are likely to fell slightly during the next year, the Nationwide Building Society said on Thursday.
The world's biggest economy continue gaining momentum in the third quarter, as a narrowed trade gap and gains in inventory overshadowed a limited gain in consumer spending.
The number of unemployed people in France soared to the highest level since April 1998, putting more pressure on Socialist President Francois Hollande who has pledged to halt the relentless rise by the end of 2013.