LONDON—U.K. unemployment unexpectedly fell at its fastest monthly pace for over 12 years in February, raising hopes that the U.K. economic recovery is gaining momentum. The Office for National Statistics on Wednesday said the widely watched claimant count measure of unemployment dropped by 32,300 in February, marking the largest monthly decrease since November [...]
AP - The U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly shrank in January, reflecting a big drop in imports of oil and foreign cars. American exports also fell, a potential blow to hopes that the economic recovery will be aided this year by U.S. sales abroad.[Read more...]
LONDON—The U.K. economic recovery remains fragile, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday, as he announced that the government will lay out its budget plans on March 24, paving the way for a national election. In comments that suggest the U.K. isn’t discounting the risk of the economy slipping back into recession, Mr. Brown said [...]
It will come just weeks ahead of a general election, which is widely expected to held on May 6, and the Chancellor Alistair Darling will be under pressure to outline measures for supporting economic recovery. At the same time, he has to convince financial markets the Government has a credible plan for reducing Britain’s record [...]
Improved readings of gross domestic product and purchasing managers activity fueled a slight gain in stocks, capping the best month for the market since November. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 4.23 points to 10325.26. It finished up 2.6% for the month, its best performance since a 6.5% gain in November. The measure [...]
What looked like a bad deal from one, permission to stay with 50 knights, suddenly seemed attractive when her sister’s alternative was a mere 25. Trading floors may not echo with Lear’s desperate words – “when others are more wicked, not being the worst stands in some rank of praise” – but foreign-exchange [...]
Previous of Companies Next FTSE 100 FTSE 250 A government report released on Thursday indicated that business investment – such as corporate spending on buildings and vehicles – fell unexpectedly during the last three months of 2009, reigniting concerns about the pace of the UK’s exit [...]
A late wave buying couldn’t quite bring the stock market back from a morning swoon, leaving major averages modestly lower at the bell, hurt by investors’ worries about the U.S. jobs picture and sovereign debt in Europe. Unwinding of bearish bets in the euro boosted that currency’s value versus the dollar as the afternoon [...]
LONDON—U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, acknowledging he is the underdog heading into a spring general election, will outline an election campaign focused heavily on economic recovery. Mr. Brown’s Labour Party has consistently trailed the opposition Conservative Party in the run-up to the election, which hasn’t yet been called but must be held by [...]
Mr Brown will promise to “stand up for the many” at the launch Prime Minister Gordon Brown will unveil the slogan of Labour’s general election campaign in a speech at the weekend.And the BBC has learned he will outline the four main themes [...]
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