Markets Archives - Page 559 of 782

Is the US economy beginning to bounce back?

Following Britain’s lead, the United States economy has begun to recover after a severely disappointing start for this year. As freezing weather took its toll within the initial months of 2014, high taxes, job killing regulations, Obamacare, and so on, the GDP (figure used to determine the complete size of the economy) fell by a rate of approximately 2.9%. However, the 2nd quarter of the year displayed some growth in the GDP, leading some analysts to believe that the world’s largest economy could not be so devastated to its own people.

Geopolitical Risks Ahead of the Weekend as Falling Yields Weigh on Dollar

The key driver of the global capital market is the heightened geopolitical risks ahead of the weekend. These now include the US air strikes in Iraq, as well as a sense that the situation in the Ukraine is reaching an inflection point. Putin needs to step up his support for the insurgents in east Ukraine in some fashion, or risk losing that insurgency effort.

Week in Review: Stocks Slide, Euro Recession, China Exports

U.S. equities fell this week, as did European stocks on fears that a new recession in Italy could endanger the economic recovery of the broader European Union. Stocks fell in spite some strong economic data that showed the U.S. job market was recovering, although at a slow pace.

Counting Down the Hours, Waiting for Draghi

The US dollar recouped some of the modest losses seen in North America yesterday. The focus is not, though, so much on the US today. The Bank of England, and even more important for the markets today, the ECB meets. Draghi’s press conference is the highlight of the remainder of today’s 24-hour session.

Jobless Claims Fall to Eight-Year Low

Initial jobless claims fell sharply this week while continuing claims were also below expectations.

In total, initial unemployment claims fell to 289,000 from the prior week, well below economists’ expectations of 304,000. This brings unemployment claims to their lowest level since 2006. Jobless claims’ four week average fell to 293,500, again the lowest figure since 2006.

Are politics in India becoming less dynastic?

In 2011, the well-known historian, Patrick French, wrote and released a book which offered revealing data regarding the hold that lineage and family has had on Indian politics. The text, ‘India: A Portrait’, suggested that if the trend continued, India could be seen to slide backwards in progression to days when the country was ruled by a single hereditary monarch and various princes.

Italy Slides into Recession as German Output Falls

Italy has officially turned into a recession as GDP shrank 0.2% in the second quarter after shrinking 0.1% in the first quarter of 2014. The contraction has surprised analysts, who were expecting economic expansion in the EU state amid a broader continent-wide recovery.

Instead of recovery, the euro’s third-largest economy has released data indicating that the currency’s broader economy may be threatened by an unexpected downturn, which may in turn impact other nations within the European Union.

European politics dances to the drum of the far right

Instead of championing the EU and the economic benefits of immigrants, Europe’s mainstream parties are moving further to the right. David Cameron’s clampdown on immigrant benefits was one policy designed to win back votes from far-right party UKIP.

India Refuses to Sign Global Agreement on Trade Facilitation

India has played the spoiler by refusing to sign the global agreement on trade facilitation agreed at the Bali Ministerial of the World Trade Organisation in December 2013. The signing of the agreement would have resulted in the first global trade reform agreement in the history of the WTO. The Trade Facilitation Agreement aimed to boost trade by providing for faster and more efficient customs procedures through effective cooperation between customs and other appropriate authorities.

U.S. Banks Lend to More Businesses as Economy Improves

More companies and small business are borrowing money, and banks are lending more to private enterprises, in a sign that the U.S. economy is continuing to improve.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Federal Reserve released a statement confirming that more banks throughout the country were lending to more businesses in the last three months. The Fed also noted that commercial and residential real estate loan demand had risen as more companies look to invest in expanding their operations.