France’s growth outlook down, deficit target will be missed
Finance Minister Michael Sapin said in a press conference that France’s growth outlook has been lowered to just 0.4% for 2014, from the 0.5%...
UK July industrial output up
UK July industrial output increased by 0.5% after rising by 0.3% in June, driven mainly by a 3.6% jump in gas and electricity output,...
Canada’s unemployment rose 11,000 in August
Canada’s unemployment rose 11,000 in August, surprising analysts who had forecast a 10,000 jobs gain. However, after botching figures last month, Statistics Canada’s latest...
US labor productivity improved 2.3 percent in Q2 2014
In the second quarter, US labor productivity improved by 2.3%, says the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the Department of Labor. Hours worked...
ECB slashes rates to spur growth
The ECB slashes rates, surprising analysts, to bolster economic growth and prevent a Eurozone slide into a deflationary spiral. The ECB Governing Council reduced...
European Commission fines smart card chip makers €138m for price fixing
The European Commission fines smart card chip makers €138 million ($181 million) for coordinating their market behavior, thus violating European Union (EU) anti-competition rules that...
World Competitiveness Report 2014-2015
The World Competitiveness Report 2014-2015, published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) was released today. The WEF warns that despite several years of bold...
Canadian Q2 GDP grew 0.8 percent
Canadian Q2 GDP grew by 0.8% (annual rate of 3.1%), after expanding by just 0.2% in Q1, Statistics Canada reported on Friday. It was...
Fiat Chrysler merger plan jumps shareholder hurdle
The Fiat Chrysler merger plan was blessed earlier this week because not enough shareholders tendered their stock to undermine the reorganization. In other words,...
Brazilian GDP shrank in Q2 and Q1 2014
In what is becoming the country’s worst year since the 2008 financial crisis, Brazilian GDP shrank by -0.6% in Q2 2014 from the first...