Experts in the economy suggest that Russia could be in serious trouble. Ten months ago, before anyone ever imagined that the president, Vladimir Putin, might begin to stir up unrest within the eastern end of Ukraine, or invade Crimea, an individual known as the oligarch (a term which means business magnate), expressed that he was feeling a significant deal of concern in regard to Russian’s economic standing.
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.
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 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.
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.
Recently, Bupa, Britain’s largest company for private healthcare, announced to the BBC that they believe they are charging their own customers far too much for care, and that the industry should be encouraged to think urgently about how they set their prices. A Bupa senior executive claimed that he thought costs should be cut by around 15% across the whole of Britain’s private healthcare sector, and Dr. Damien Marmion, the managing director of insurance in Bupa, UK, suggested that the sector was in danger of serious ‘decline’ if actions were not taken soon.
After defaulting on its bonds for the second time in thirteen years last week, Argentina is in danger of seeing the value of its currency fall even further, which will only make it harder for the nation to honor its outstanding debts.
After an aviation meeting backed by the United Nations failed to produce any new guidance, requests are being made for the UK government to step in and offer advice to airlines on the potential threats of flying over various war zones.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported 209,000 jobs were added in July, far below expectations and a steep drop from the prior month, which saw 298,000 total nonfarm jobs were added in the United States. In July, the unemployment rate rose to 6.2% from 6.1%.
Professional and business services—so-called white collar office jobs—saw the largest growth, with 47,000 new jobs in July. Manufacturing came in second (28,000 added jobs), followed closely by retail (27,000) and construction (22,000).
The International Monetary Fund (referred to commonly as the IMF) has recently disclosed information that suggests Britain may have the fastest growing economy out of any sizeable developed country. Upgrading its forecast for UK growth for the fourth time in a row, the latest prediction of 3.2% this year and 2.7% in 2015 would effectively define Britain as the fastest growing advanced economy in the world this year.
