Economy

• Thursday, July 5th 2012 - 22:22 UTC

  ECB lowers interest to record low 0.75%; pushes banks to lend by cutting overnight rate to zero

  

  The European Central Bank cut its key interest rate by a quarter percentage point Thursday to a record low 0.75% to try to help ease Europe’s financial crisis, boost its sagging economy and restore confidence.

• Thursday, July 5th 2012 - 22:20 UTC

  China cuts interest rate a week ahead of next week’s release of second quarter stats

  

  China's central bank cut interest rates for the second time in two months to bolster an economy widely expected to record its sixth successive slide in growth in April-June.

• Thursday, July 5th 2012 - 08:14 UTC

  Roaring inflation: Argentine “double zero” peso bills are “legal tender”

  

  An issue of Argentine 100 Pesos bills printed in Brazil and in circulation in Buenos Aires was discovered to be missing the “1” which left them with only the double 00.

• Thursday, July 5th 2012 - 08:06 UTC

  Paraguay's Destructive Soy Boom

  

  By Jeremy Hobbs - The following column was published in The New York Times Opinion page.
  It gives another side of the current situation in Paraguay, and the role the landlocked country plays as a leading exporter of the oilseed.

• Thursday, July 5th 2012 - 07:51 UTC

  Argentina’s top 20 banks will have to lend for investment, says CFK

  

  In a further attempt to prop the economy and promote investment funding Argentine President Cristina Fernández, CFK, announced on Wednesday that via the Central Bank, “the twenty A-class banks in the country will be obligated to give out loans,” in order for investment to be made on goods and services.”

• Thursday, July 5th 2012 - 07:47 UTC

  Homes, offices and shops to be built at London’s iconic Battersea power station

  

  A consortium led by Malaysia's SP Setia Bhd has bought London's iconic Battersea power station for 400 million pounds ($623 million) and will redevelop the site into homes, offices and shops, the agents managing the sale said.

• Thursday, July 5th 2012 - 07:30 UTC

  Falklands’ considering easing capital gains tax for oil and gas industry

  

  The Falkland Islands government is considering tax legislation that will help to further promote the oil and gas industry activities by granting more time for the capital gains effective presentation.

• Wednesday, July 4th 2012 - 23:21 UTC

  Argentine economy forecasted to enter recession in second half, but could still end 2012 positive

  

  The odds that Argentina's economy will enter a recession in the second half of this year held above 95% for a second consecutive month in the closely followed monthly leading indicator published by Torcuato Di Tella University, UTDT.

• Wednesday, July 4th 2012 - 23:00 UTC

  Libor rate manipulation: Barclays’ former CEO does not convince PMs and points to Bank of England

  

  British banker Bob Diamond has revealed that one of his big fears during the 2008 global credit crisis was that his bank, Barclays, would be taken over by the British government.

• Wednesday, July 4th 2012 - 22:26 UTC

  Spanish court opens fraud case against Banka former executives

  

  A Spanish court opened a fraud case against former executives of lender Bankia on Wednesday amid mounting public anger against the state-rescued bank.