Investors' sentiment in Switzerland advanced modestly in May together with the economic development index signaled a stable outlook for the near future, a report released by the Center for European Economics Research unveiled on Wednesday. According to the report, the Swiss investors' confidence index added by 0.4% to 7.4 points in May.
Unemployment rate in South Korea advanced in the month of April, while it was originally expected to drop on the month, a report revealed by the Statistics Korea unveiled on Wednesday. According to the report, the country's jobless rate gained 3.7% in April, up from March's level of 3.5%, while the total number of people employed recorded 25.68 million last
South Korean exports prices decreased notably in April falling for the second straight month, a report released by the Bank of Korea unveiled on Wednesday. According to the report, the country's export prices fell by 2.5% on a monthly basis in April after weakening by 0.4% in March, while year-on-year export prices slipped 7.3% in April.
Industrial output in the Europe's largest economy dropped in March together with production declines recorded in France, Spain and Italy, a data unveiled by the Capital Economics showed on Wednesday. German industrial production fell by 0.2%, France's industrial output decreased 0.7%, Spain's and Italy's production slipped 0.6% and 0.5% respectively.
Industrial production in the 18-nation bloc declined in the month of March as the four largest countries recorded a drop in output, the latest report revealed by the Capital Economics showed on Wednesday. According to the report, the Eurozone's industrial output fell 0.3% in the month of March after posting a 0.2% gain in the prior month.
Inflation in Spain measured as harmonized index of consumer prices advanced in April following a drop recorded in the prior month, the latest report unveiled by the statistical office INE showed on Wednesday. According to the report, the Spanish HICP gained 0.3% in April following a 0.2% decline posted in March.
Unemployment rate in the United Kingdom dropped in the first three months of this year falling toward the weakest level in five years as the country's economy added more jobs in the Q1, the latest report unveiled by the Office for National Statistics revealed on Wednesday. The U.K. jobless rate slipped to 6.8% in the Q1, the least since 2009.
Retail sales in South Africa advanced in March rising by less than economists initially estimated as business sentiment in the country weakened in April, the latest data unveiled by the Statistics South Africa showed on Wednesday. According to the data, the South African retail sales jumped by 1% on an annual basis in March, while business confidence fell by 0.1
U.S. business inventories advanced in March matching initial economists' projections, the Commerce Department showed in a report on Wednesday, while March business sales also gained according to the report. The country's business inventories surged by 0.4% in March after recording a 0.5% climb in February, whereas business sales jumped 1.1% in March.
Producer prices in the world's largest economy increased in April rising by more than economists originally expected as food prices posted a notable advanced on the month, the latest data released by the Labor Department showed on Wednesday. The U.S. producer price index gained by 0.6% in the month of April after rising by 0.5% in the prior month.
Wall Street opened lower on Wednesday trading session as risk appetite of investors improved after the benchmark indexes recorded their new all-time highs yesterday. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index added 0.10% to 1,895.62, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 0.11% to 16,697.81 and the Nasdaq Composite index surged 0.28% to 4,118.68.
The 18-nation bloc currency held steady versus its U.S. counterpart on Wednesday and it rebounded from the weakest level in sixteen months against the British Sterling after the Bank of England decided to maintain its interest rates unchanged. The Euro was traded at $1.3710 after falling to $1.36885 yesterday, while it was last seen at 81.75 pence.
The majority of government bonds across the Eurozone increased on Wednesday pushing the benchmark 10-year yields towards record lows amid speculation that the European Central Bank may cut its interest rates next month on the policy meeting. The German 10-year bunds yields fell to the weakest level in one year of 1.38%, while the Italy's 10-year yields dropped to 2.90%.
Asian equities increased on Wednesday trading session as investors' appetite improved after the benchmark U.S. stock index Standard & Poor's 500 closed at its new all-time high. The MSCI broadest Asia-Pacific gauge outside Japan added as much as 0.8%, the Hong Kong benchmark index inched higher by 1%, while the Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.1%.
The majority of European shares slightly declined on Wednesday with the benchmark stock index falling from the strongest level in a 14-year period reached yesterday after the Bank of England said it keeps rate at the current level. The London's FTSE 100 Index slipped as much as 0.2% to 6859 points, while the broader FTSEurofirst 300 Index dipped 0.25% to
The British Sterling dropped on Wednesday trading session after the Bank of England decided to maintain its benchmark interest rates unchanged cooling investors' expectations for rate hikes by a major national bank. The Pound was trade at a level of 81.80 pence against the Euro as of 12:00 London time, while it slipped to $1.6770.
The harmonized index of consumer prices in Spain turned back to the positive value in April of 2014, reaching 0.3% on the annual basis, after a 0.2% decline a month before. From March 2014, the indicator added 0.6%, rising in line with analysts' estimations. At the same time, consumer prices advanced 0.4% in April year-on-year, jumping 0.9% from March.
Unemployment level in the United Kingdom slipped to 6.8% in the first three months of the current year, putting pressure on the Bank of England in terms of rising interest rates, as the indicator fell below the target of 7% already in December-February quarter. Moreover, the number of jobless claims plummeted further by 25,100 in April, slight below the prediction
The government of Australia announced a series of spending and tax reforms, in order to decrease negative budget gap and turn it to surplus by 2018. The negative balance will decline from A$49.9 billion this year to $A29.8 billion by June 2015. Among fiscal measures, the spending on public services, welfare and and will be cut, while the tax on
The stocke market in Europe opened in the green zone on Wednesday, while investors continue to evaluate the companies' performance in the first quarter of this year. Asian shares, in turn, showed a significant jump today. The benchmark Europe Stoxx 600 Index increased 0.1% to 341.99 points by 7:00 GMT in London. Yesterday, the indicator surged to its largest level
Emerging-market stocks increased on Tuesday session heading towards the strongest level in a six-year period as Indian shares gained after exit polls in the country showed a win of opposition bloc and as Russian shares gained for fifth successive day. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index surged 0.7% to 1,022.81 by 3 p.m. London time.
The European benchmark Brent crude advanced on Tuesday trading session amid speculation that stockpiles in the U.S. probably gained by 300,000 barrels in the week ended on May 16, while distillate inventories rose by 1 million barrels. Brent for delivery in June added $0.29 to $108.70 per barrel on the London's ICE Futures Europe exchange.
West Texas Intermediate crude jumped on Tuesday trading session rising to the strongest intraday level in a two-week period on speculation that inventories in the U.S., the world's largest oil user, dropped. WTI for settlement in June advanced to a level of $101.44 per barrel on the NYMEX and was last seen at $101.26 by 1:02 p.m. in London.
Australia's house prices increased on a sequential basis in the first three months of this year, however the pace of growth was lower than originally estimated, a report released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed on Tuesday. The country's house prices inched higher by 1.7% in the Q1 after rising by 3.5% in the Q4, while it was forecast