Economy

Monday, February 9th 2015 - 12:46 UTC
Bank of England unanimously leaves interest rates at 0.5% for the 71st month

Bank of England has held interest rates at 0.5% for the 71st month in a row and kept its stimulus programme of quantitative easing (QE) unchanged. Most forecasters now think interest rates will not rise before next year.
Monday, February 9th 2015 - 12:32 UTC
China's import of key commodities falls sharply during January

China's imports of key commodities eased in January after the record high set in December, as expected as the earlier heavy purchases to take advantage of weak prices had swollen inventories, preliminary customs data released has shown.
Friday, February 6th 2015 - 23:10 UTC
US reports strong surge in employment and wages during January

United States employment rose solidly in January and wages rebounded strongly, a show of underlying strength in the economy. Nonfarm payrolls increased 257,000 last month, the Labor Department said on Friday.
Friday, February 6th 2015 - 23:02 UTC
Qatar Airways takes 10% of IAG, owner of British Airways and Iberia

Qatar Airways has emerged as the owner of a 10% stake in International Airlines Group (IAG), the owner of British Airways (BA) and Iberia. The Gulf airline is already a member of the Oneworld Alliance.
Friday, February 6th 2015 - 06:53 UTC
FAO Food Price Index continued de decline in January; cereal record crop anticipated

The FAO Food Price Index continued to decline in January, averaging 182.7 points for the month, or 1.9 percent below its December 2014 level. Lower prices reflect strong production expectations as FAO also raised its 2014 forecast for world cereal production to a record high and noted that early indications for crops in 2015 are favorable.
Friday, February 6th 2015 - 02:11 UTC
Rise of the vulture investing class

The oil markets are showing some life, having rallied 11% over a two-day period. But if a bigger rebound is not around the corner, it won’t just be oil companies that will be feeling the pain: their lenders will also face some steep losses if drillers can’t come up with the cash to cover debt payments.
Thursday, February 5th 2015 - 11:10 UTC
Cristina Fernandez hails 'strategic partnership' with China; blasts Argentine industry for mistrusting agreements

President Cristina Fernandez expressed her satisfaction for the over 1,000 businessmen that attended the Argentinean-Chinese forum she presided in Beijing and praised the 'strategic partnership' with China. The president also rejected criticism voiced by the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA) against her trip to China and the bilateral deals reached.
Thursday, February 5th 2015 - 10:39 UTC
China eases credit to help boost growth; 7.4% in 2014 was the lowest in 24 years

China's central bank has cut the level of funds banks must hold in reserve in an effort to boost growth in the world's second-largest economy. The reserve requirement ratio has been cut by 0.5 percentage points to 19.5%.
Thursday, February 5th 2015 - 09:44 UTC
YPF obtains through bonds 500 million dollars; target was 750 million

Argentine state majority owned petroleum company YPF has secured funds worth around 500 million dollars on the international finance market after issuing new bond titles, according to the president of the enterprise.
Wednesday, February 4th 2015 - 09:17 UTC
Brazil's industrial production contracted sharply in 2014, worst year since 2009

Brazil’s industrial production contracted sharply in December and finished last year with its steepest decline since 2009, as rising interest rates, weak demand and waning confidence from consumers and businesses weighed on output.