Retailers in the U.K. failed to sell more goods in November than in the previous month, adding to concerns that the economy may shrink in the last quarter of 2012.
The world's biggest economy expanded more than previously estimated in the third quarter due to the increase in exports and government spending, the Commerce Department said Thursday.
German producer price inflation weakened to a four-month low in November, meeting analysts' expectation, the statistical office Destatis said Thursday.
German annual Producer Price Index rose in line with economists expectations in the month of November, the Federal Statistical Office reported on Thursday. The Destatis report showed increase of the PPI by 1.4% in November, following a 1.5% advance in the previous month. On monthly basis, the PPI dropped 0.1% reaching the same figure as the month before, while projections
Exports from the Japan dropped for the a consecutive month, while trade deficit widened more than initially expected, adding more pressure on the Bank of Japan to expand its asset-purchase programme.
The largest bank in Switzerland has agreed to pay $1.53 billion in fines to settle charges of rigging the Libor benchmark rate.
The U.K. economy is expected to shrink in the last quarter of 2012, while the inflation rate will exceed a 2% target level, the Bank of England policymakers said on Wednesday.
The number of homebuilding permits in the world's biggest economy touched its highest level in four years, suggesting the property market is gaining momentum and the recovery will extend into 2013.
Confidence among German investors brightened further in December, adding to sign the Europe's largest economy will pick up speed once again the beginning of 2013.
Japanese machine orders dropped in November, suggesting investors are getting more anxious over the future economic performance, the Japan Machine Tool Builders' Association said.
The Swiss National Bank will open its branch in Singapore in order to better manage its growing foreign exchange reserves and assets in the Asia-Pacific region.
The annual rate of inflation in the U.K. remained unchanged in November, as higher electricity and gas costs kept growth of consumer prices above the Bank of England's target.
The U.S. current account deficit shrank to its narrowest in nearly two years in the third quarter of 2012, due to the weak domestic demand and lower oil prices, which curbed imports.
Spanish banks' bad loans rocketed to a fresh high in October, as more companies and homeowners missed their credit payments amid worsening economic crisis in the country.
After the two-thirds majority won by the Liberal Democratic Party in the lower house that allows them to take most of the decisions, the Bank of Japan signalled more stimulus.
The amount of cash Swiss commercial banks hold with nation's central bank rose more than expected in the week to December 14, a sign that investors are getting less anxious over Eurozone's financial woes.
Home sellers in London and other U.K. cities cut their asking prices by the most this month in five years, due to the inflow of supply and seasonal factors, which had a negative effect on the pricing power.
Manufacturing activity in the New York region shrank for a fifth consecutive month, as new orders dropped and the labour market remained weak, the New York Federal Reserve said in a report on Monday.
Eurozone trade surplus increased unexpectedly in October, a sign that the indebted bloc is regaining its competitive edge.
The sentiment of Japanese manufacturers worsened in December, as the country slipped into recession, while the global slowdown and territorial tensions with China hit the export-reliant economy.
Swiss economy is widely expected to continue its expansion in the next year, however, at a slower pace due to the global slowdown and growing uncertainty over the Eurozone debt crisis.
The Standard's & Poor's became the third of the major credit rating agencies, which put the U.K.'s top AAA rating on "negative outlook".
Consumer prices in the world's biggest economy dropped significantly in November due to the sharp drop in petrol prices, the Labor Department reported Friday.
Eurozone services and manufacturing sector contracted in December, however, at a slower pace, showing some signs of improvement, the research group Markit said Friday.