http://www.voanews.com/archive/breaking-news-economy/latest/3491/3497.html Economy http://www.voanews.com/img/voa/rssLogo_VOA.gif http://www.voanews.com/archive/breaking-news-economy/latest/3491/3497.html en-US 2012 - VOA 60 Sun, 26 May 2013 03:24:50 -0400 Pangea CMS – VOA Stocks in Asia and Europe plunged Thursday after a report unexpectedly showed Chinese manufacturing is shrinking. Japan's Nikkei stock index tumbled 7.3 percent after the report's release showing Chinese factory production dropped in May for the first time in seven months. It was the Nikkei's biggest one-day loss since Japan's March 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster. Stocks in London, Paris and Frankfurt followed suit, closing down more than two percent. U.S. markets closed ... http://www.voanews.com/content/asian-european-stocks-plunge-on-weak-chinese-factory-data/1667218.html http://www.voanews.com/content/asian-european-stocks-plunge-on-weak-chinese-factory-data/1667218.html Thu, 23 May 2013 16:50:30 -0400 Breaking News Stocks in Asia and Europe plunged Thursday after a report unexpectedly showed Chinese manufacturing is shrinking. Japan's Nikkei stock index tumbled 7.3 percent after release of the report showing Chinese factory production dropped in May for the first time in seven months. It was the biggest one-day loss since Japan's March 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster. Stocks in London, Paris and Frankfurt followed suit, closing down more than two percent. U.S. markets were off slightly in ... http://www.voanews.com/content/asian-european-stocks-plunge-on-weak-chinese-factory-data/1666996.html http://www.voanews.com/content/asian-european-stocks-plunge-on-weak-chinese-factory-data/1666996.html Thu, 23 May 2013 12:47:25 -0400 Breaking News Sales of new U.S. homes jumped higher in April, while prices hit a record high. The Commerce Department says sales of newly-built homes rose more than 2 percent from the prior month, and were 29 percent above the same month a year ago. The median price of a new home was a record $271,600. Experts say ultra-low interest rates and a gradually improving job market helped sales. If they continued for a full year at April's pace, 454,000 new houses would be sold. While that is an improvement, ... http://www.voanews.com/content/us-home-sales-rise-prices-hit-record-high/1666904.html http://www.voanews.com/content/us-home-sales-rise-prices-hit-record-high/1666904.html Thu, 23 May 2013 11:35:20 -0400 Breaking News The number of people signing up for unemployment assistance dropped by 23,000 last week across the United States. Thursday's report from the Labor Department says there were 340,000 first-time applications nationwide. Many economists say that level is consistent with an improving job market. The U.S. central bank chief said Wednesday that the job market is still weak. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told members of Congress that the bank will continue its programs to stimulate the ... http://www.voanews.com/content/us-layoffs-drop/1666822.html http://www.voanews.com/content/us-layoffs-drop/1666822.html Thu, 23 May 2013 10:03:17 -0400 Breaking News Stocks in Asia and Europe plunged Thursday after a report unexpectedly showed Chinese manufacturing is shrinking. Japan's Nikkei stock index tumbled 7.3 percent after release of the report showing Chinese factory production dropped in May for the first time in seven months. It was the biggest one-day loss since Japan's March 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster. Stocks in London, Paris and Frankfurt followed suit, dropping more than two percent. U.S. stocks fell in early trading in New ... http://www.voanews.com/content/asian-european-stocks-plunge-on-weak-chinese-factory-data/1666811.html http://www.voanews.com/content/asian-european-stocks-plunge-on-weak-chinese-factory-data/1666811.html Thu, 23 May 2013 09:58:20 -0400 Breaking News Two new U.S. economic reports point to the country's uneven recovery from the depths of its recession four years ago. The government said Thursday that initial claims for unemployment aid jumped by 32,000 to 360,000 last week, the biggest one-week increase since last November. Jobless benefit claims, usually an indicator of the pace of worker layoffs, had been falling in recent weeks. The U.S. jobless rate has fallen to 7.5 percent as the economy has slowly advanced. Meanwhile, in a ... http://www.voanews.com/content/reports-point-to-uneven-us-economic-recovery/1662253.html http://www.voanews.com/content/reports-point-to-uneven-us-economic-recovery/1662253.html Thu, 16 May 2013 11:06:18 -0400 Breaking News Japan says its economy surged early this year, a first signal that new stimulus policies may be reversing the country's two-decade-long economic malaise. The government said Thursday the country's economy, the world's third largest, grew by an annualized rate of 3.5 percent in the January-to-March period -- a marked contrast from the weak growth at the end of last year and six months of contraction earlier in 2012. Since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office in late December, he ... http://www.voanews.com/content/japans-economy-surged-in-early-2013/1662172.html http://www.voanews.com/content/japans-economy-surged-in-early-2013/1662172.html Thu, 16 May 2013 09:34:29 -0400 Breaking News The eurozone recession has now extended to 18 months, the longest contraction since Europe adopted the single euro currency in 1999. The European Union said Wednesday that the economic fortunes of the 17-nation eurozone fell two-tenths of a percent in the January-to-March period. It is the sixth straight quarter the currency bloc has recorded a recession -- surpassing the length of the eurozone's recession in the global financial crisis in 2008 and 2009, although that contraction was more ... http://www.voanews.com/content/eurozone-recession-now-worst-of-the-euro-era/1661373.html http://www.voanews.com/content/eurozone-recession-now-worst-of-the-euro-era/1661373.html Wed, 15 May 2013 09:55:17 -0400 Breaking News The best-known U.S. stock market index closed at a record high Tuesday, the first time the Dow Jones Industrial Average has ended the day's trading above 15,000. Investors in the United States, Europe and Japan have been encouraged by a strong U.S. employment report Friday which reduced worries about economic growth. That growing confidence helped push the Dow to 15,056. The S&P 500 also hit a record close of 1,625. The Dow has recovered the last of its losses from the financial ... http://www.voanews.com/content/us-stocks-close-at-record-high/1656556.html http://www.voanews.com/content/us-stocks-close-at-record-high/1656556.html Tue, 07 May 2013 17:15:45 -0400 Breaking News The best-known U.S. stock market index closed at a record high Tuesday, the first time the Dow Jones Industrial Average has ended the day's trading above 15,000. Investors in the United States, Europe and Japan have been encouraged by a strong U.S. employment report Friday which reduced worries about economic growth. That growing confidence helped push the Dow to 15,556. The S&P 500 also hit a record close of 1,625. The Dow has recovered the last of its losses from the financial ... http://www.voanews.com/content/us-stocks-close-at-record-high/1656525.html http://www.voanews.com/content/us-stocks-close-at-record-high/1656525.html Tue, 07 May 2013 16:33:24 -0400 Breaking News Debt-plagued Portugal has reached a milestone in its financial recovery, selling long-term government debt for the first time since its bailout two years ago. Lisbon sold $3.9 billion worth of bonds on international markets Tuesday that mature in 10 years, with investors trying to buy three times that amount. Officials said the bond sale showed that the government's austerity measures are working to resolve the country's financial problems, even though Portugal still has a record ... http://www.voanews.com/content/portugal-sells-longterm-debt-for-first-time-since-its-bailout/1656296.html http://www.voanews.com/content/portugal-sells-longterm-debt-for-first-time-since-its-bailout/1656296.html Tue, 07 May 2013 12:27:20 -0400 Breaking News U.S. automaker General Motors says it is planning to manufacture its luxury Cadillac model in China as it looks to gain a bigger foothold in the world's largest car market. GM, one of the world's largest automakers, said Tuesday it had reached agreement with Chinese authorities to build a $1.3 billion manufacturing plant in Shanghai. General Motors said it would start construction next month on the facility, which will have an annual production capacity of 150,000 vehicles. At the ... http://www.voanews.com/content/general-motors-to-make-cadillacs-in-china/1656127.html http://www.voanews.com/content/general-motors-to-make-cadillacs-in-china/1656127.html Tue, 07 May 2013 09:57:03 -0400 Breaking News VOA News http://www.voanews.com/content/general-motors-to-make-cadillacs-in-china/1656127.html#relatedInfoContainer New Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta is calling on his country and the euro currency bloc to promote economic growth and end reliance on austerity measures to resolve Europe's governmental debt crisis. In his first address to parliament, Letta said that Italy's economy will die if it continues to rely on cutting government spending. "We will die of fiscal consolidation alone, after 10 years without growth. Growth policies cannot wait any longer.'' he said. ... http://www.voanews.com/content/new-italian-pm-calls-for-growth-not-austerity/1651003.html http://www.voanews.com/content/new-italian-pm-calls-for-growth-not-austerity/1651003.html Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:43:11 -0400 Economy VOA News http://www.voanews.com/content/new-italian-pm-calls-for-growth-not-austerity/1651003.html#relatedInfoContainer New Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta is calling on his country and the euro currency bloc to promote economic growth and end reliance on austerity measures to resolve Europe's governmental debt crisis. In his first address to parliament, Mr. Letta said that "Italy is dying from austerity alone. Growth policies cannot wait." He said that "Europe is in a crisis of legitimacy and ... must become once more a motor of sustainable growth." Mr. Letta said he would visit ... http://www.voanews.com/content/new-italian-pm-calls-for-growth-not-austerity/1650942.html http://www.voanews.com/content/new-italian-pm-calls-for-growth-not-austerity/1650942.html Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:50:27 -0400 Breaking News New Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta is calling on his country and the euro currency bloc to promote economic growth and end reliance on austerity measures to resolve Europe's governmental debt crisis. In his first address to parliament, Mr. Letta said that "Italy is dying from austerity alone. Growth policies cannot wait." He said that "Europe is in a crisis of legitimacy and ... must become once more a motor of sustainable growth." Mr. Letta said he would visit ... http://www.voanews.com/content/new-italian-pm-calls-for-growth-not-austerity/1650906.html http://www.voanews.com/content/new-italian-pm-calls-for-growth-not-austerity/1650906.html Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:06:19 -0400 Breaking News Spain says its economy is worsening and that it will take two years longer than first thought to meet Europe's deficit target. Madrid said Friday it expects its economy will shrink 1.3 percent this year, instead of the one-half of one percent figure it projected earlier. The government said it expects the Spanish economy will begin to grow again in 2014. At the same time, Spain - the fourth largest economy in the euro currency bloc - said its deficit would fall this year to 6.3 percent ... http://www.voanews.com/content/spain-says-its-economy-is-worsening/1649766.html http://www.voanews.com/content/spain-says-its-economy-is-worsening/1649766.html Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:41:56 -0400 Economy VOA News Spain says its economy is worsening and that it will take two years longer than first thought to meet Europe's deficit target. Madrid said Friday it expects its economy will shrink 1.3 percent this year, instead of the one-half of one percent figure it projected earlier. The government said it expects the Spanish economy will begin to grow again in 2014. At the same time, Spain, the fourth largest economy in the euro currency bloc, said its deficit would fall this year to 6.3 percent of ... http://www.voanews.com/content/spain-says-its-economy-is-worsening/1649740.html http://www.voanews.com/content/spain-says-its-economy-is-worsening/1649740.html Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:16:25 -0400 Breaking News