Britain's shop price index remained unchanged for the third successive month in December, according to the British Retail Consortium, but the food price index went down notably, when it fell down 0.5% from November's 4.6% to 4.1% in the last month of 2012. Year-on-year, the shop price inflation stayed at 1.5% in December compared to analysts forecast of rise to
Profitability of the U.K. companies rose marginally in the Q3, the Office for National Statistics reported on Wednesday. The net rate of return of private companies in non-financial sector was 12.2%, higher than prior estimate of 12.1%, while service companies recorded 16.9% compared to the revised estimate of 16.5%. Manufacturing companies improved their profitability as well to 4.7% in the
The Eurozone economy shrank in the third quarter of 2012 in line with economists' expectations, according to the official data by Eurostat on Wednesday. The Euro bloc's GDP contracted 0.1% in the July to September period, compared to a 0.2% decline in the second quarter. On annual basis GDP fell 0.6%. "The danger of the eurozone's split is over. But we
Consumer credit of the world's largest economy increased above economists expectation in November as non-revolving credit rose notably, the Federal Reserve reported on Tuesday. U.S. consumer credit went up by $16.1 billion in the month of November following an increase of $14.0 billion after revision the month before, when students and car loans surged $15.2 billion in November.
Japanese shares rallied, capping a two-day drop, as the Yen depreciated against its 16 counterparts, supporting exporters. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average gained 0.5% to 10,555.01 after earlier tumbling 1%. Seven out of ten groups inched higher. Tokyo Dome Corporation shares added 8% to 353 yen, leading gains in the consumer services sector, that was only 0.03% up. IHI corporation
U.S. blue chips were down for the second day prior to beginning of the new earnings session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average erased 0.4% to 13,328.85. Three out of nine sectors advanced. Verizon Telecommunications and AT&T were pacing losses in the telecommunications group, as companies slumped 3.6% and 2.9%, respectively. Boeing Co. erased 2.6% to $74.13 after BB&T Capital Markets'
U.S. shares dropped on Tuesday, as investors were still waiting for the new earnings season to begin, dragging down the S&P 500 index for a second day. The S&P 500 slumped 0.3% to 1,457.15. All sectors in the index edged lower, with telecommunications posting biggest losses in the industry, down 2.69%. Game stop Corp. shares lost 6.3% on lower sales
Spot gold price was up by 0.3% to $1,664.10 an ounce in Asian trading session on Wednesday. The price of commodity rose by 0.8% yesterday, that was the biggest gain since the 2nd of January, as data indicated the highest level of imports to China from Hong Kong in seven months ahead of the Lunar New Year. Volumes in the
Brazil swap rate on contract for January 2015 increased by 0.09% or 9 basis points to 7.79%, the highest level since the 21st of December. Investors are concerned about the insufficient government efforts to reach energy price targets, forcing to increase borrowing costs to control inflation. Reserves in country's hydroelectric dams reached a multi-year low, what increases the risky of
Australia's retail sales fell in November on substantial reduction at department stores and in household goods category, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retail sales decreased 0.1% on a monthly basis to A$21.5 billion, while economists expected a 0.3% growth. Sales of household goods fell 0.9% in November and trade at department stores declined 0.4%.
Asian shares rose, snapping two days of losses, as Japan's Nikkei 225 Stocks Average reversed 1% losses after the Yen fell. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index added 0.4% to 131.28. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index climbed 0.4% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index climbed 0.2%, whereas China's Shanghai Composite Index slid 0.6% and South Korea's Kospi Index slipped 0.3%.
Farm commodities, excluding corn, finished Tuesday's session in the red territory, being pressured by solid US Dollar. Increased caution ahead of the USDA monthly report on global supplies also weighed on rural commodities. Wheat edged lower ahead of the key USDA report due on Friday. However, the grain may seek support on US winter crop concerns and lower Argentina's harvest.
Energy futures were mixed on Tuesday amid expectations of the US inventory buildup this week. Firmness of the US Dollar and dismal economic reports from the Eurozone also pushed energy prices lower. Moreover, concerns over looming debt limit dispute in the US added to losses of the commodity group.Crude oil eased as investors bet on an increase in the US
Industrial metals apart from zinc went higher despite weak data from the Eurozone. German factory orders dropped 1.8% in November compared to a forecast of a 1.4% decrease. However, expectations of strong China's data due on Thursday supported base metals.Aluminum jumped on positive outlook on global demand. Alcoa predicts global aluminum consumption to grow 7% in 2013 as economic recovery
Precious metals rebounded on Tuesday ahead of the closely-watched ECB meeting due on Thursday. Hopes that the Fed will stick to its stimulus measures amid weak state of the jobs market lent support for precious metals. Meanwhile, investors continued to monitor developments across the US debt ceiling talks. Gold erased some of the previous losses on strong physical demand from
The Canadian Dollar, also called Loonie, fell by 0.1% to 98.67 cents per U.S. Dollar in the end of Toronto trading session on Tuesday. The Loonie depreciates the first time in three days or after gaining 0.2%. Investors changes their preferences for currency, as global risk appetite notably ebbed. The Loonie maintains strong correlations for equities and commodities, which have
The Yen dropped by 0.4% to 87.41 per Dollar and fell by 0.4% to 114.28 per Euro at 1.45 p.m. in Tokyo trading session on Wednesday. The Japanese currency weakens against the major counterparts, as market expects to see an expansion of monetary easing, which will decrease a value of the currency. The BOJ holds a next meeting on January
The Australian Dollar, also called the Aussie, was unchanged at $1.0503 in the end of Sydney trading session on Wednesday. The Aussie halts its gain after a three-day appreciation period, when increased by 0.4%. Today, the Australian Dollar struggles, as the government announced about an unexpected 0.1% retail sales fall. Also, job vacancies dropped by 6.9% in the same month,
German shares dropped on falling exports from the largest economy in Europe and declined factory orders. In addition, investors also held back, waiting for the fourth-quarter earnings session in the U.S. The DAX index declined 0.4% to 7,705.14. The index has still advanced 1.2% this year. Telecommunications and health care were the only sectors advancing in the gauge by 0.7%
U.K shares stayed little changed on Tuesday fading concern that the recent surge in shares has overestimated the outlook for corporate profits.The FTSE 100 Index rose 0.1%, or 3.19 points, to 6,067.77. The benchmark index gained 2.8% last week. All but three sectors declined in the gauge.Telecommunications shares rallied 1.85%, showing the biggest gain in the FTSE 100 index. An
Hong Kong blue chips dropped on falling Japanese exporters, as the yen appreciated against its major counterparts.The Hang Seng index lost 0.94% to 23,111.19, touching its lowest level this year. Six out of nine sectors edged lower in the gauge. The sectors that shrank the most were basic materials, oil and gas, and financials, tumbling 1.6%, 1.4% and 1.2%, respectively.
Japanese shares dropped as the Yen kept appreciating against its 16 major counterparts and lowered the profit outlook for the exporters. The Nikkei 225 dropped 0.9% to 10,508.06. Only three out of ten groups in the benchmark index edged higher. Among the best performers were Unitika, Sharp Corporation and Nitto Boseki with their shares rallying 4.1%, 3.9% and 3.8%, respectively.
U.S. blue chips slumped after the S&P 500 index advanced to its five-year high last week, as U.S. lawmakers approved a budget bill to halt the so-called "fiscal cliff". The Dow Jones Industrial Average eased 0.4%, or 50.92 points, to 13,384.29. Only two out of nine sectors edged higher. Telecommunications sector posted biggest gains, as the shares of Verizon Communications
U.S. equities dropped on Monday as investors stepped back to the side lines, awaiting the beginning of the new corporate earnings season starting on Tuesday. The S&P index tumbled 0.3% to 1,461.89 after closing at its highest since 2007 last week. All but two sectors declined in the gauge. Celgene Corp, global biopharmaceutical company, was the best performer with its