Economy

• Tuesday, November 3rd 2009 - 11:30 UTC

  Delaware, Cayman Islands and London City among “most secretive tax havens”

  

  A league table of the world’s most secretive tax havens has been compiled by campaigners seeking greater transparency about the operation of ‘offshore’ finance centres. The Financial Secrecy Index (FSI) analyses the level of secrecy each haven offers, and the extent of their reluctance to co-operate with other countries tax authorities.

• Tuesday, November 3rd 2009 - 08:24 UTC

  Royal Bank of Scotland to cut 3.700 jobs in UK branches

  

  Royal Bank of Scotland is to cut 3,700 jobs across its UK branch network in a bid to modernise the way the bank operates, the company has said. The redundancies follow a strategic review of the bank and will take effect from May next year.

• Tuesday, November 3rd 2009 - 08:21 UTC

  Ford back on track makes one billion USD profit in third quarter

  

  Ford, one of the big three of the US auto industry has announced profits of almost one billion US dollars between July and September thanks to increased market share and a successful cost-cutting program.

• Monday, November 2nd 2009 - 12:06 UTC

  Brazil’s plan to boost the economy and send a good report to Copenhagen

  

  Brazil has extended tax breaks on energy-efficient home appliances for three months in a bid to boost consumption and consolidate a rebound in Latinamerica's largest economy. The announcement was made last week by Finance Minister Guido Mantega and becomes effective this month.

• Monday, November 2nd 2009 - 11:59 UTC

  Lloyds planning huge shares and bonds issue to cut off from government umbrella

  

  Lloyds Banking Group is prepared to pay a fee of close to £2.5 billion to steer clear of the Government Asset Protection Scheme (GAPS), according to BBC sources. Lloyds believes it can survive without the GAPS and does not want the additional government influence which comes with the scheme.

• Monday, November 2nd 2009 - 11:38 UTC

  China’s manufacturing increases at fastest rate in 18 months

  

  China’s Purchasing Managers Index, a gauge of the country’s manufacturing activities, rose at the fastest pace in 18 months in October when it expanded to 55.2, up from 54.3 in September, the China Federation of Logistic and Purchasing said this week.

• Sunday, November 1st 2009 - 19:37 UTC

  Bank of Japan to withdraw funds’ support programs as of next March

  

  A divided Bank of Japan began withdrawing from credit markets on Friday and said it would scrap all key funding support programmes by March, resisting government pressure to support corporate borrowing until the economy strengthens.

• Saturday, October 31st 2009 - 06:46 UTC

  EU unemployment soars to 9.2%: 22 million out of work

  

  Figures from the Europe Union's statistics office show that consumer prices in the Euro zone fell for the fifth month in a row in October while the unemployment rate for September rose again.

• Saturday, October 31st 2009 - 05:32 UTC

  Chilean Central bank could begin hiking interest rate next second quarter

  

  The Chilean central bank will likely begin hiking the benchmark interest rate, currently at a record low 0.5%, in the second quarter of next year, according to the minutes of its October monetary policy meeting released Wednesday.

• Friday, October 30th 2009 - 21:59 UTC

  Argentina buys wine from Chile to face shortfall in production

  

  Still hurting from a yearlong drought, Argentina is turning to Chile for wine imports in order to keep up with popular demand for wine.