Economic News

By Simon Webb LONDON (Reuters) - Oil held above $72 a barrel on Wednesday on fears Iran's intensifying dispute with the West may lead to a supply cut from the world's fourth largest exporter. London's Brent crude (LCOc1: Quote, Profile, Research) fell 13 cents to $72.38 a barrel at 11:30 a.m., just off the record of $72.64 hit on Tuesday. Brent has hit fresh records in each of the last six ses ...

This is Money19 April 2006 AN imminent move in interest rates appeared unlikely today after it emerged seven out of eight Bank of England policymakers voted for no change this month. WANT TO KNOW MORE? REPORT: Interest rates on hold again DEAL FINDER: Cut your credit card rate DEAL FINDER: Cut your loan rate DEAL FINDER: Improve your savings rate OTHER STORIES £5 a gallon warning  ...

The Bank of England's interest rate setting committee voted 7-1 to freeze rates for the fifth month running, minutes of the April meeting show. The minutes say there has been little change in economic conditions since March, with growths teady and inflation staying near to its 2% target. Seven of the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to freeze the 4.5% rate, against only one in favour. Eighth member Richard Lambert left the MPC in March and is yet to be replaced. Mr Lambert has l ...

By Luke Pachymuthu SINGAPORE (Reuters) - U.S. oil eased on Wednesday but kept sight of its record high above $71 a barrel as dealers feared Iran's intensifying row with the West over its nuclear aims may cut supplies from the world's fourth-largest exporter. U.S. May crude (CLc1: Quote, Profile, Research) oil futures fell 38 cents to $70.97 a barrel by 8:57 a.m. British Time, after hitting a re ...

LONDON (Reuters) - The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee was split 7-1 on its decision to leave interest rates at 4.5 percent this month as Stephen Nickell voted for a quarter percentage point cut for the fifth month running. Minutes of the April 5-6 meeting published on Wednesday showed that overall the MPC thought there had been little news since the March meeting with economic growth continuing steadily and inflation staying close to its 2.0 percent target. As such, the minutes di ...

German producer prices continue to rise at their fastest pace in two decades, fuelling concerns about inflationary pressures in Europe's largest economy. Factory gate prices - what German firms pay for industrial products - rose 5.9% in March compared to a year earlier, driven by rising energy costs. This matched the 5.9% annual rise seen in February although, on a monthly basis, prices rose a further 0.5%. Energy prices rose 22%, as world oil prices hovered near record levels. Energy trend  ...

LONDON (Reuters) - The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee was split 7-1 on its decision to leave interest rates at 4.5 percent this month as Stephen Nickell called for a quarter-point cut for the fifth month running. Minutes of the April 5-6 meeting published on Wednesday showed that overall the MPC thought there had been little news since the March meeting with growth continuing steadily and inflation staying close to its 2.0 percent target. As such, they are likely to do little to s ...

Jane Padgham, Evening Standard19 April 2006 LONDON is bucking the national trend of falling High Street sales, with retail spending in the capital running well ahead of last year. OTHER STORIES UK airports traffic takes off Peugeot workers threaten strike Market report: Wed preview LSE's £510m cashback to get nod AB Foods takes a caning from sugar THE EDITOR'S CHOICE TO ...

By Eriko Amaha TOKYO (Reuters) - The Nikkei rose 0.68 percent on Wednesday as Canon Inc. (7751.T: Quote, Profile, Research) and other exporters climbed after U.S. stocks posted their biggest gains in a year on expectations the U.S. interest rate-hike cycle may be near an end. Fujitsu Ltd. (6702.T: Quote, Profile, Research) climbed after revising up its earnings forecasts while strong earnings from U.S. firms like Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Yahoo Inc. (YHOO. ...

By Luke Pachymuthu SINGAPORE (Reuters) - U.S. oil eased on Wednesday but kept sight of its record high above $71 a barrel as dealers feared Iran's intensifying row with the West over its nuclear aims may cut supplies from the world's fourth-largest exporter. U.S. May crude (CLc1: Quote, Profile, Research) oil futures fell 46 cents to $70.89 a barrel by 6:59 a.m. British Time, after hitting a record-high of $71.60 the previous day, breaking through last August's $70.85 peak. London's Brent cr ...