Economy

• Wednesday, June 25th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  More bad news for United States economy

  US consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest level in 16 years while US home prices fell in April at the fastest rate in years, two economic reports have said.

• Wednesday, June 25th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Euro zone rate rise next July, but will it be an only time?

  The European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet said that the ECB remains in “full alert” because of the continued inflation in the Euro zone and suggested that a rate hike, next July 3 “is possible”. However he emphasised that this would not signal the first step for a ladder of rate hikes.

• Wednesday, June 25th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  WTO plans final push for Doha round talks next July 21

  World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Pascal Lamy called on Wednesday for a group of ministers from thirty main countries to meet from July 21 to push the Doha round of global free trade talks toward conclusion, diplomats said.

• Wednesday, June 25th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  US Federal Reserve leaves interest rate unchanged at 2%

  

  In a move which did not surprise, the US Federal Reserve on Wednesday kept interest rates unchanged at 2%. In its usual release following the two day meeting the Open Market Committee said that “recent information indicates that overall economic activity continues to expand, partly reflecting some firming in household spending”.

• Wednesday, June 25th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Talented workforce becoming growingly borderless and global

  

  Manpower Inc. released this week the results of its Borderless Workforce survey of nearly 28.000 employers across 27 countries and territories revealing that 31% of employers worldwide are concerned about the impact on the labor market from talent leaving their country to work abroad

• Wednesday, June 25th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  US 2008/09 soybean crop larger than 2007/08 harvest

  

  The US 2008-09 soybean crop is forecast at 81.90 million tons, down 2.5 million tons from a previous estimate after heavy rain in the US Midwest, according to Hamburg-based oilseeds analysts Oil World.

• Tuesday, June 24th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  ECB member wants “tough” reply to “alarming” inflation

  European Central Bank council member Klaus Liebscher said the bank has to be “tough” when deciding on interest rates and described the current inflation in the Euro zone as “alarming”, according to an interview with Market News International.

• Tuesday, June 24th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  IMF: current situation testing Latam achievements

  

  IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn warned on Monday of the rising threat of inflation in Latin America, urging policymakers to take steps to contain the shock to prices from energy and food.

• Tuesday, June 24th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Beijing calls on industry to absorb higher energy costs

  China will cap price rises by manufacturers to keep consumer inflation stable following the country's fuel price hike, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement over the weekend.

• Tuesday, June 24th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Lux & Ireland richest countries in EU; UK above average

  

  Luxembourg is by far the richest country in the European Union, with Ireland second at almost half its gross domestic product per capita, while Bulgaria is the poorest, according to the latest release from the European Union statistics office.