International

• Thursday, June 3rd 2010 - 06:16 UTC

  Spanish unemployment slightly down at start of summer season

  

  Spanish registered unemployment declined for a second month in May as the start of the tourist season spurred hiring. The number of people registering for unemployment benefits fell by 76,223, or 1.84%, from April to 4.07 million, the Labor Ministry said Wednesday.

• Thursday, June 3rd 2010 - 06:02 UTC

  EU plans for financial markets watchdog to regulate credit rating agencies

  

  Plans for a European Union-wide financial markets watchdog have been put forward by the European Commission. The proposed “European Security Markets Authority” would initially regulate credit rating agencies, but could be given broader powers at a later date.

• Thursday, June 3rd 2010 - 05:55 UTC

  Euro zone unemployment reaches all-time high in April, 10.1%

  

  The Euro zone (EZ16) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 10.1% in April 2010, compared with 10.0% in March. It was 9.2% in April 2009. The EU 27 unemployment rate was 9.7% in April 2010, unchanged compared with March while a year ago it stood at 8.7% (April 2009).

• Thursday, June 3rd 2010 - 05:47 UTC

  Canada, first G7 member to raise basic interest rate

  

  Canada has become the first member of the G7 group of industrialised nations to raise interest rates since the global financial crisis. The Bank of Canada has increased its key lending rate by one quarter of a percentage point to 0.5%.

• Wednesday, June 2nd 2010 - 03:36 UTC

  China’s manufacturing expansion slows prompting world markets’ reaction

  

  China’s manufacturing expanded at a slower pace than estimated in May, prompting stock declines across Asia. The Purchasing Managers’ Index fell to 53.9 from 55.7 in April, the Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said in an e-mailed statement on Tuesday.

• Tuesday, June 1st 2010 - 05:04 UTC

  Roubini warns Brazil about asset-bubble; recommends limiting Real appreciation

  

  Nouriel Roubini, the New York University professor who predicted the global financial crisis before markets peaked, said the Brazilian, Chinese and Indian economies may be overheating and developing asset bubbles.

• Tuesday, June 1st 2010 - 04:49 UTC

  India raises basic rate, drains liquidity and says recovery is “firmly in place”

  

  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has raised key interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point in an attempt to curb near double-digit inflation. The rise was the second in a month and was in line with analysts' forecasts.

• Tuesday, June 1st 2010 - 04:46 UTC

  Tories implement civil service “salary transparency”; 171 above PM Cameron

  

  Some 171 civil servants are paid more than Prime Minister David Cameron's £142,500-a-year salary, according to Cabinet Office figures. The salaries of those earning over £150,000 were revealed for the first time in a bid to aid transparency.

• Tuesday, June 1st 2010 - 04:40 UTC

  European confidence in economic outlook down and inflation up

  

  European confidence in the economic outlook unexpectedly worsened in May and inflation accelerated as the Euro region’s debt crisis shook markets.

• Tuesday, June 1st 2010 - 02:40 UTC

  China warns of a double-dip recession because of European sovereign debt

  

  China warned that Europe's struggle to contain soaring debt posed a risk to global economic growth, raising the spectre of a double-dip recession.