Economy

• Friday, May 7th 2010 - 05:36 UTC

  Greek Default “Is Not an Option” and “Never Has Been” Says IMF

  

  A default by Greece on its debt obligations is not and has never been an option, a spokeswoman for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday. A Greek “default is not on the table, has not been on the table” insisted IMF director of external relations Caroline Atkinson.

• Friday, May 7th 2010 - 05:33 UTC

  ECB Leaves Euro Policy Unchanged; European Leaders Set to Approve Greek Rescue

  

  European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet faced down pressure for new moves to shore up the weakest Eurozone countries, but kept options open even as he said Spain and Portugal were “not Greece”.

• Friday, May 7th 2010 - 05:31 UTC

  Chinese Shares Plunge to 8 Month Low on Fears of Tight Credit

  

  Chinese shares plunged to an eight-month low Thursday on persistent concerns over weak overseas markets and government measures to tighten credit and curb property speculation, dealers said.

• Friday, May 7th 2010 - 05:27 UTC

  Brazil’s Bovespa Plunges to a 3 Month Low and the Real to January 09 Level

  

  Brazil’s Bovespa stock index plunged Thursday to a three-month low, extending its drop in the past month to 12%, and the Real tumbled as concern Europe’s debt crisis will spread prompted investors to sell higher-yielding assets.

• Friday, May 7th 2010 - 00:47 UTC

  Greek Contagion Threatens South Europe and UK Banks Warns Rating Agency

  

  Banks in the United Kingdom and Europe risk their credit ratings being damaged because of “contagion” from Greece's debt crisis, a ratings agency has warned. Moody's said banking systems faced “very real, common threats” if doubts were raised about their governments' abilities to pay debts. It referred specifically to UK, Irish, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish banking systems.

• Friday, May 7th 2010 - 00:40 UTC

  IMF Chief to visit Latin America, “Region Brimming with Energy and Promise”

  

  IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn will travel to Brazil and Peru from May 25-28 to meet with government leaders, leading figures from the private sector, and with students and academics as part of efforts to engage more closely with stakeholders in the region.

• Thursday, May 6th 2010 - 05:35 UTC

  Brazil Announces Financial Institution to Promote and Finance Exports

  

  Brazil on Wednesday announced long-awaited measures to boost exports at a time when the trade surplus in Latin America's largest economy is shrinking rapidly on a yearly basis. The government will create a lender, named EXIM Brasil, to help finance exports.

• Thursday, May 6th 2010 - 03:00 UTC

  Bad Signal: Spanish Government and Opposition Remain on Collision Course

  

  The Spanish government and opposition made on Wednesday an attempt to join forces against the country's economic crisis amid international concern that Spain could be heading for a Greek-style meltdown.

• Thursday, May 6th 2010 - 02:59 UTC

  Uruguay’s April Annualized Inflation above the 7% Target

  

  Uruguay’s April consumer inflation reached its highest level in thirteen months and for the second month running was above the 7% annual target, according to the latest report from the Statistics Institute.

• Wednesday, May 5th 2010 - 21:28 UTC

  Fresh Volcanic Ash Cloud Delay Hundreds of Flights in Scotland and Ireland

  

  Thousands of passengers are facing long delays after airports in Scotland and Ireland closed because of a fresh cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland. Flights have been grounded in Glasgow, Prestwick and Derry since 0700 BST, while the airspace over Dublin, Belfast and Edinburgh has also since closed.