Economic News

WASHINGTON (AFX) - The nation's unemployment rate climbed to a four-month high of 4.6 percent as somewhat wary employers added fewer new jobs in January. Wage gains were more modest. The newest report on the economy, released Friday by the Labor Department, suggested that the jobs market got off to a slower start in 2007 yet still remains in decent shape. The more subdued job growth -- 111,00 ...

LONDON (AFX) - European government bonds approached the weekend higher, tracking Treasuries after soft US jobs data showed a smaller-than-expected increase in payrolls in January. The US payrolls data came in at 111,000 against expectations for 150,000, although the data for past months of December and November was revised up significantly. At the same time, the unemployment rate inched up to 4.6 ...

LONDON (AFX) - The dollar recovered earlier losses in the wake of this afternoon's key US jobs data as market players turned to focus on upward revisions to back data, rather than the weaker-than-forecast headline reading and a higher unemployment rate. Official data released this afternoon showed US non-farm payrolls rose by 111,000 during January, well below the 150,000 gain forecast by analyst ...

Daily Mail2 February 2007 The lifetime tax bill of an average family will top £1m within eight years, a report reveals today. TAX RETURN: Millions of people have jut completed theirs WANT TO KNOW MORE? REPORT: 10m families to pay death tax CHAT: Are you overtaxed? STAMP DUTY: Work how much you will pay GUIDES: Tax guides POLL: Should inheritance tax be abolished? OTHER STORIES BA blames fog for profits drop Market Preview: Friday Morning IVA growth stalls as ...

TOKYO (XFN-ASIA) - Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said the risks of a return to deflation were low, but he gave few clues on when the central bank will next raise interest rates again. "It is important to judge if the economy is in a position to maintain sustainable economic growth with stability of prices, and the Japanese economy is now heading in that direction," Fukui told a ...

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFX) - Venezuela's inflation rate rose sharply in January despite government efforts to control prices that climbed faster than in any other Latin American country last year. The 2 percent jump in January far exceeded the 0.8 percent rise registered during the same month last year, according to central bank figures released Thursday. Prices rose by 1.8 percent in December, ...

US manufacturing activity fell unexpectedly in January, raising fresh concerns about the US economy. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) manufacturing index fell to 49.3 last month from 51.4 in December. A number below 50 indicates contraction. The number surprised analysts who had forecast a marginal rise to 51.9. The figures contrast with the Federal Reserve's comments on Wednesday, whe ...

WASHINGTON (AFX) - The booming economy that President Bush paints is a far cry from the worrisome one increasingly portrayed by Democratic presidential candidates and party leaders. To them, there are worker insecurities, stagnant wage growth and soaring costs for health care and college. The vision of rival economies already is a main issue for the 2008 presidential and congressional races. Eco ...

WASHINGTON (AFX) - People once again spent everything they made and then some last year, pushing the personal savings rate to the lowest level since the Great Depression more than seven decades ago. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the savings rate for all of 2006 was a negative 1 percent, meaning that not only did people spend all the money they earned but they also dipped into ...

LONDON (AFX) - The dollar remained weak after last night's mildly dovish statement by the Federal Open Market Committee following their decision to leave interest rates unchanged. This afternoon's US data failed to give the currency a lift, with figures on personal income and consumption coming in in line with market expectations, while weekly jobless claims numbers were slightly above forecasts. ...