BOJ mulling easing again
The Bank of Japan is examining a further easing of its ultra-loose monetary policy and may decide on such a move this month, the Nikkei newspaper reported, weakening the yen and lifting government bond futures to a two-month high. The government, its fiscal options limited by a ballooning fiscal debt, has been pressuring the BOJ […]
EU trade chief sees progress in India FTA talks
A free trade agreement with the European Union could create new export opportunities worth $9bn for Indian industries, EU trade chief Karel de Gucht said. De Ducht, on a visit to India, said he expected good progress in the coming months on trade negotiations between the second most populous country in the world and the […]
Greece must do more to tackle debt crisis, EU says
“I am asking the Greek government to announce new measures in the coming days,” Rehn told reporters after talks with Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou. For his part, Papaconstantinou said plans to deal with Greece’s debt burden involved “dangers and risks and some of these dangers are now visible” but the government would not waver in […]
Blaming the weather for high US unemployment
That means key US data on jobs and manufacturing for February, which hold big implications for global financial markets, could lead to a befuddled reaction from investors. Confusion will also likely reign in Europe where fears about Greece’s financial situation, potentially exacerbated by speculative activity in bond markets, have kept the Eurozone’s single currency under […]
Earthquake to drag on Chile recession recovery
The 8.8-magnitude quake tore up highways and bridges, knocked out power that feeds mines and factories, and shook apart scores of buildings, killing more than 700 people. With details of the extent of the destruction still emerging, economists said it was hard to estimate the degree to which Latin America’s most advanced economy would be […]
India lifts borrowing in budget, bonds hit
India will increase market borrowing by 1.3 percent in the next fiscal year, disappointing bond investors, as it counts on a surging economy and a partial rollback of stimulus measures to cut its fiscal deficit. Bond markets reversed earlier gains on worries over the government budget’s plans to increase market borrowing, and some watchers said […]
US Q4 economic growth revised up on inventories
In its second reading of fourth-quarter GDP, the Commerce Department said the economy grew at a 5.9 percent annual rate, rather than the 5.7 percent pace it estimated in January. It was still the fastest pace since the third quarter of 2003. The economy expanded at a 2.2 percent annual rate in the third quarter. […]
Tearful Toyoda apologises; Japan hopes for recovery
Toyota Motor Corp President Akio Toyoda apologised to US lawmakers probing the automaker’s safety record and ended the day in tears, in what Japanese politicians hoped was a first step towards rebuilding trust in the country’s most valuable company. Toyoda, peppered with questions about a massive recall that has rocked Toyota’s reputation, told lawmakers he […]
Saenz: Reform could be dangerous
“If all these elements that are being discussed under the Basel III umbrella are put in place… it would be very onerous, a heavy burden on the profitability of the banking system and the banking industry,” Alfredo Saenz, chief executive of Santander, told UK lawmakers recently. He said it was impossible to accurately predict the […]
Kenya economy to grow by 4.5 pct in 2010
The effects of post-election violence, a drought and the global economic crisis pushed Kenya’s economic growth to 1.7 percent in 2008, after expansion of 7.1 percent in the previous year. “Last year, the recovery in tourism, and in some other key sectors, mitigated effects of the severe drought that caused food, water and energy shortages,” […]
