West Texas Intermediate oil fluctuated on Thursday and traded close to the weakest level in a six-month period and recorded the largest spread to Brent crude after a report showed that inventories in the U.S. gained for 10th week. WTI for delivery in January slipped 12 cents and traded at $92.18 a barrel on the NYMEX as of 10:15 a.m.
The shared currency strengthened on Thursday rising to the highest level in four years against the Japanese Yen after a report showed that year-on-year inflation in Germany's Saxony region rose for the first time in a five-month period suggesting that the ECB may not cut its interest rates further. The Euro jumped 0.2% to 138.96 Yen as of 10:28 a.m.
European equities increased on Thursday heading for the third monthly advance amid speculation that yesterday's closing prices near five-year highs were overvalued and as stocks in the U.S. and Asia grew. The benchmark index Stoxx Europe 600 jumped 0.2% to 324.59 as of 8:06 a.m. London time and it has gained 0.5% this month.
Business confidence in Italy advanced more than economists originally expected in November, a data unveiled by the statistical office Istat showed on Thursday. According to the report, Italy's manufacturing sector confidence index rose from 974 recorded in October to 98.1 in November, while it was forecast to climb to 97.5.
New commercial vehicles demand in Europe advanced in the month of October totaling 158,960 registrations, the latest figure published by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association revealed on Thursday. According to the report, commercial vehicle registration jumped 8.1% in October after it recorded a 6.1% gain in the prior month.
The performance of Philippine's economy eased to the lowest level in more than a year in the three months until September, moreover, the typhoon hitting the area this month may reduce the economic activity further. The gross domestic product of the nation rose annually by 7.0% in the Q3 following a 7.3% advance in the quarter before.
Unemployment in the Europe's largest economy increased to the highest level in more than two-and-a-half year in November, however, the jobless rate remained near its historical low, the Labour Office reported on Thursday. According to the report, the total number of unemployed people in Germany grew by 10,000 to 2.985 million and the jobless rate stayed at 6.9%.
An indicator measuring inflation expectations in Germany advanced from the weakest level in an eighteen-month period before a report showed that consumer prices in the 17-nation bloc currency increased in November. The harmonized annual inflation rate jumped from 1.2% recorded in October to a level of 1.3% in November.
Manufacturing activity in the world's second largest economy increased in November, however, the pace of growth was slower than in the prior month amid weaker demand, a survey released by the HSBC and Markit Economics revealed on Thursday. The country's purchasing managers' index of the manufacturing sector eased from 51.4 in October to 51.1 in November.
The Japanese currency declined on Thursday traded near lows against the 17-nation bloc currency and the U.S. Dollar and it recorded the worst monthly performance in 2013 as investors' appetite for low-yielding currencies decreased. The Yen fell 0.3% to 139.15 Yen, traded close to 4-year low at 139.26, while it slipped to 102.20 per U.S. Dollar.
Wall Street shares closed higher on Wednesday with the benchmark indexes the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones reaching historical highs as companies from Apple Inc. to Hewlett-Packard showed their earnings boosting the markets up. The Dow Jones industrial average added 0.15% to 16,097.33, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index jumped 0.25% to 1,807.23 and the Nasdaq Composite Index gained
Global shares advanced on Thursday rising towards the strongest level in six-years, while the Japanese Yen dropped against the Euro and the U.S. Dollar as investors' mood increased after favourable economic data in the U.S. The broadest MSCI world equity index tracking stocks from 45 countries added 0.2% touching its historical high since it began in 2008.
According to the Bank of Canada projections, the country's economy is on its way to the stable and strong recovery, as it will most likely show a significant rise in a pace of expansion in the third quarter. It is predicted that the Canadian economy will add 2.5% in the July-September quarter of the current year on the annual basis,
The business confidence level in New Zealand rose almost to the 15-year highest level in November of 2013, as a retail sector expands and businesses expect the profit amounts to advance. The benchmark index surged to 60.5 points in November from 53.2 a month earlier. At the same time, economists point out that the largest growth in employment was registered
The economic growth in Switzerland reached 0.5% in the July-September quarter of this year, while experts predicted the economy to add 0.4%. Alongside, the pace of growth remained unchanged from the second quarter. Comparing with the weak GDP growth in the Eurozone, Switzerland shows much more stable expansion, with exports rising 0.5% and construction jumping 1%.
Retail sales in the third-largest economy of the world, Japan, advanced 2.3% in October of the current year on the annual basis after a 3% increase in September. At the same time, analysts forecasted the indicator to go up only 2.1%. It is worth pointing out that large-scale retailers posted a 0.4% decrease in sales. The overall amount of sales
According to the Housing Industry Association of Australia data, the new house sales in the country decreased 3.8% in October of this year on a monthly basis, while in September they posted a significant advance of 6.4%, being the two-year high. By regions, home sales climbed the most by 17.4% in South Australia, while the largest decline in sales of
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, one of the biggest banks in the United Kigndom, announced on Wednesday that the financial institution plans to sell its remaining stake of 20% in the global payment company WorldPay. The potential buyer could be the Bain Capital and Advent International consortium. Today, the RBS Group Plc stocks are growing 0.36% to 0.33
Orange SA, the largest communications operator in France, plans to sell its unit in the Dominican Republic to Altice VII S.a.r.l., a company based in Luxembourg. It is expected the selling price to reach 1.1 billion euro. At the same time, Orange has received more than one bid for purchasing. Orange SA shares are currently trading up 0.05% to 9.54
The trade surplus in Sweden declined slightly in October of the current year on the annual basis, missing economists' forecasts. Over the last month the country's producers of goods and services exported 7% less goods than in October 2012, while imports fell 5%. This resulted in the trade surplus of 4.4 billion kronor. Moreover, in the first 10 months of
The unemployment level in Norway unexpectedly fell in September of this year, as the jobless rate declined to 3.4% from 3.5% in the previous month. Analysts, in turn, predicted the unemployment rate to remain stable at August level. The number of persons without a job dropped to 93,000. At the same time, the employment level remained unchanged at 68.8% in
Irish property prices advanced in October of this year at a considerably faster pace than in the previous month, as the Central Statistics Office data showed a surge of 6.1% in prices for residential property. In September prices added 3.6%. The annual growth for apartment prices jumped to 11.7%. Moreover, the highest rise in housing prices of 15% was registered
According to the Bank of Spain research data, the economic growth in the country will continue to expand in the current quarter of this year, while some indicators and sectors point on growth. Meanwhile, the domestic consumption advances, while car sales, in turn, surge amid government support program. Also, the manufacturing and construction sectors show the increase in activity.
This Wednesday, 1:30 pm GMT, the U.S. Census Bureau released the latest indicator on the monthly change in the number of durable goods ordered, excluding transportation. The number for October came out at -0.1%, and is disappointing compared to both, September's increase of 0.2% and investor expectations of a growth of 0.5%. The market reaction was barely non-existent, with the