Economy

• Wednesday, April 28th 2010 - 03:18 UTC

  Delayed Planned Bailout Forcing Greece Closer to Technical Default

  

  Shares across the globe fell sharply after German chancellor Angela Merkel said bond investors in Greece may have to take a hit even if a bail-out is agreed. With Merkel facing increased domestic opposition to the planned bailout and with elections imminent she has been talking tough, demanding Greece pay higher interest on any money it borrows than was originally agreed.

• Wednesday, April 28th 2010 - 01:09 UTC

  Unemployment in Spain Soars to 20.05%; 4.61 Million Jobless

  

  Spain's jobless rate has risen past 20% for the first time in 13 years, according to figures made public by the National Statistics Institute (INE) on Tuesday. Unemployment rate was 20.05% in the first quarter of this year, up from 18.83% in the last quarter of 2009.

• Wednesday, April 28th 2010 - 01:04 UTC

  Bernanke Warns White House About Failure to Reduce Federal Budget Deficit

  

  Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said a failure to reduce the federal budget deficit may push up interest rates over time and impair economic growth, putting the recovery at risk.

• Tuesday, April 27th 2010 - 22:06 UTC

  US Senate Claims Goldman Sachs Knowingly Profited from Mortgage Collapse

  

  The chairman of an inquiry into the causes of United States' financial meltdown has attacked the role of Goldman Sachs. Senator Carl Levin spoke of the reckless greed that infected Wall Street's financial community.

• Tuesday, April 27th 2010 - 21:57 UTC

  IMF Warns Latam “Cheap and Abundant Credit” Rises Risk of Boom-Bust Cycle

  

  Latin American economies as a whole are recovering nicely from the global economic downturn but “cheap and abundant external finances raise the risk of a boom-bust cycle”, said Nicolas Eyzaguirre, IMF Western Hemisphere Department Director.

• Tuesday, April 27th 2010 - 18:13 UTC

  UK Think Tank Warns About Drastic Spending Cuts After Election Day

  

  All three British major political parties are failing to come clean on spending cuts that will need to be at least as deep as the 1970s, a leading think tank warned Tuesday. Repairing the public finances will be the 'defining domestic policy task of the next government', the Institute for Fiscal Studies said at a special election briefing.

• Tuesday, April 27th 2010 - 06:08 UTC

  Brazil will Impose Import Levies to Face “Cheap” US Dollar, Unless Accord is Reached

  

  Brazil’s government may take additional steps to limit gains in the local currency Real should advanced economies favor policies that keep their currencies weak, Finance Minister Guido Mantega said.

• Tuesday, April 27th 2010 - 06:03 UTC

  US Judge Griesa Denies Request to Suspend Argentina’s Debt Swap

  

  A US judge denied requests by a class of mostly individual bondholders to suspend or disapprove of Argentina's 20 billion US dollars debt swap.

• Tuesday, April 27th 2010 - 05:55 UTC

  Concerns with Inflation Anticipate Brazil will Raise Benchmark Interest Rate

  

  Brazil’s next government will need to be “very serious” about keeping inflation within its target range so real interest rates can continue to fall, Central Bank President Henrique Meirelles said.

• Tuesday, April 27th 2010 - 05:47 UTC

  Argentina Insists that Official Statistical Information is “Trustworthy and Solid”

  

  Argentina’s Deputy Economy Minister Roberto Feletti said the Government “will not accept economic policies to be dictated” by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and added that country's statistical information is “trustworthy and solid.”