BEIJING, Dec 19 Reuters China39;s business confidence fell to its lowest since January 2013, a survey by World Economics showed on Monday, reflecting the impact of surging COVID19 cases on economic activity with the abrupt lifting of many pandemic control measures. The index fell to 48.1 in December from 51.8 in November, showed the World […]

ROME, Dec 17 Reuters The prospect of subsequent hikes in interest rates by the European Central Bank is worrying for highly indebted countries like Italy, its economy minister said on Saturday. We have benefited as a country for several years of a favourable situation, with interest rates close to or below zero, and this is […]

BRUSSELS, Dec 19 Reuters European Union nations39; energy ministers were struggling on Monday to agree a cap on gas prices, an emergency measure that has split opinion across the bloc as it seeks to tame the energy crisis. National leaders last week urged their ministers to approve the cap on Monday to finalise a policy […]

LONDON, Dec 19 Reuters British factories39; output and export orders slid this month, according to a survey on Monday that underlined the troubles faced by the manufacturing sector, including high inflation and a weak global economy. The Confederation of British Industry CBI said its gauge of manufacturing output during the three months to December fell […]

Business climate index at 88.6 vs forecast 87.4 All indicators post betterthanexpected rise Ifo economist No trend reversal yet BERLIN, Dec 19 Reuters German business morale rose more than expected in December as the outlook for Europe39;s largest economy improved despite the energy crisis and high inflation, a survey showed on Monday. The Ifo institute […]

LONDON, Dec 16 Reuters British consumer confidence crept up this month but is still close to alltime low levels as households see their incomes eroded by high inflation, market research firm GfK said on Friday. GfK39;s monthly consumer confidence index, which dates back to 1974, rose in December to 42 from November39;s 44. It touched […]

LONDON, Dec 16 Reuters The downturn across most British businesses eased slightly this month but manufacturers struggled and the economy is still likely to contract this quarter, marking a recession, a survey showed on Friday. The UK SP Global Composite Purchasing Managers39; Index PMI rose unexpectedly to 49.0 from 48.2 in November, although it remained […]

Dec 16 Reuters India39;s rupee trade settlement mechanism, a means of using rupees instead of dollars and other big currencies for international transactions, is attracting interest from more countries. Tajikistan, Cuba, Luxembourg and Sudan have begun talking to India about using the mechanism, according to two sources and an official document reviewed by Reuters. It […]

ATHENS, Dec 16 Reuters Greece39;s jobless rate fell to 11.6 in the third quarter from 12.4 in the second quarter of the year, data from the country39;s statistics service ELSTAT showed on Friday. About 63 of Greece39;s 555,567 jobless are longterm unemployed, meaning they have been out of work for at least 12 months, the […]

LONDON, Dec 16 Reuters Mortgage lender Halifax said on Friday it expected British house prices to fall next year by around 8 as the increasing cost of living put more pressure on household finances and rising interest rates continued to push up mortgage costs. To put this into perspective, such a fall would place the […]