United States

Thursday, June 23rd 2011 - 23:19 UTC
Release of strategic reserves (to counter Libya’s absence) rattles world oil market

Oil rose in New York, recovering from a plunge sparked by an International Energy Agency announcement that its members will release crude from strategic reserves.
Wednesday, June 22nd 2011 - 23:36 UTC
Fed admits it does not have a “precise read” of why US economy is slowing

The Federal Reserve has cut its growth forecast for the US economy in the face of the impact of higher energy prices. It now estimates that the US economy will expand between 2.7% and 2.9% this year, down from its April forecast of 3.1% to 3.3%.
Friday, June 17th 2011 - 06:03 UTC
US current account deficit up 6.3% spurred by imports of more expensive oil

The US current account deficit rose 6.3% to $119.3bn in the first three months of the year, the Commerce Department has said. Strong exports of cars, computers and machinery were offset by imports, particularly of more expensive oil.
Thursday, June 16th 2011 - 01:48 UTC
Under pressure Argentina returns seized cargo from US military plane

The US embassy in Buenos Aires announced this week that the Argentine government has finally returned the cargo seized from an American military plane that landed at the Ezeiza airport amidst espionage accusations last February.
Tuesday, June 14th 2011 - 22:08 UTC
Iraq reconstruction 6.6bn USD are missing, says official US investigation

Some 6.6bn US dollars flown into Iraq eight years ago may have been stolen, according to a US official investigating fraud in the country. The missing money may represent “the largest theft of funds in national history”, investigator Stuart Bowen told the Los Angeles Times newspaper.
Monday, June 13th 2011 - 12:10 UTC
US main interest is a “stable Argentina”, warns Falklands Task Force head

The head of the Royal Navy Task Force that recovered the Falkland Islands during the 1982 South Atlantic conflict has warned about UK defense cuts and underlined that United States has little interest in supporting Britain in any conflict since a stable Argentina is more important to the State Department.
Saturday, June 11th 2011 - 10:47 UTC
Hillary Clinton denies pursuing the post of World Bank President

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was not in discussions over the top job at the World Bank and that she was not pursing the post. Clinton is in Zambia as part of a five-day Africa trip that is being overshadowed by news that she had expressed interest in moving to head the World Bank.
Friday, June 10th 2011 - 03:56 UTC
Record exports in April helped to lower US trade deficit by 6.7%

Exports of US goods and services rose to a record 175.6bn in April, helping to shrink its trade deficit. Data from the Commerce Department showed the gap between imports and exports fell by 6.7% to 43.7bn as manufacturers shipped more items such as computers.
Thursday, June 9th 2011 - 22:26 UTC
IMF says US does not need additional monetary stimulus

The Federal Reserve does not need to consider additional monetary policy stimulus as the world's largest economy is likely to pick up in coming quarters due to growth in exports and disposable incomes, IMF acting chief John Lipsky said.
Thursday, June 9th 2011 - 00:54 UTC
Bernanke argues strong demand for commodities is depressing US dollar value

US Federal Reserve rejected criticism that its actions (‘accommodative monetary policy’) have pushed down the foreign exchange value of the US dollar and thereby boosted the price of commodities, adding that the Fed is “fully committed” to maintaining the dollar’s purchasing power and to keeping inflation in check.