International

Monday, March 19th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
China's Yuan upward march against US dollar

China's Yuan climbed to the strongest since a fixed exchange rate was scrapped in 2005 on speculation China's central bank will seek a stronger currency to slow the economy, after raising interest rates.
Friday, March 16th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
“Consumer demand strong” in spite of slow housing market

Former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan said on Thursday that there is not yet any evidence that the slowing US housing market has negatively impacted on the wider economy.
Friday, March 16th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
The truth about Global Warning

The recently released summary of the fourth report of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) wasn't pleasant reading. Temperature will rise 3.2 to 7.8 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100; sea levels could rise 7 to 23 inches, and perhaps an additional 4 to 8 inches if melting of the Greenland ice sheet and Antarctica's Larsen ice shelf continue at current rates; it's likely that the strong hurricanes experienced since 1970 have been produced by global warming; and more drought and severe storms will occur. This global warming is “very likely” (meaning with 90 percent certainty) caused by human activity and will continue long into the future no matter what steps are taken.
If this official verdict on climate change seems bad enough, the real story could be far
Friday, March 16th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
China finally passes landmark property rights law

China's People Congress (NPC) by a surprising majority approved this week landmark legislation increasing private property rights following years of debate inside the Chinese Communist Party. At the end of the day only 90 of the 2.978 deputies voted against the law.
Friday, March 16th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Beijing's dilemma: how to invest without harming the US dollar

China confirmed plans to create an investment company to improve returns on its foreign currency reserves of one trillion US dollars which are the world's largest.
Thursday, March 15th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
UK: Final Olympics budget revealed

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell is due to set out details of the final budget for the 2012 London Olympics amid fears that costs have been spiralling out of control.
Wednesday, March 14th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Inflation up in China; fears of more credit tightening

Consumer prices in China during February were up 2.7% from a year ago, against January's rate of 2.2%, the National Bureau of Statistics said Tuesday.
Wednesday, March 14th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
OECD recommends leaving interest rates unchanged

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development does not anticipate a recession in the United States but called on the world's three main central banks, --US, European Union and Japan-- not to raise the cost of borrowing..
Wednesday, March 14th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Shanghai Exchange favors greater fluctuation margins

The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) has proposed raising the maximum share price fluctuation for listed companies from 10 to 20% per day. The move is part of a package of proposals for changing trading mechanisms based on a study jointly conducted by SSE and Guotai Junan Securities Co. Ltd reports China's Xinhua agency.
Tuesday, March 13th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
China promises “gradual reform” to counter record surplus

China will pursue gradual reform in the foreign exchange market this year and will aim to keep the currency basically stable, the People's Bank of China said on Monday. The central bank also said that while it was willing to accelerate financial reforms it needed more time to reduce its trade surplus.