After four consecutive quarters of decline, the US Economy returned to growth in the third quarter of 2009. Between July and September, Gross Domestic Product expanded at an annual rate of 3.5%, beating economists’ forecasts of 3.2%. The Government’s stimulative policies, like the Cash-For-Clunkers program and tax credits for first-time home buyers, seemingly helped to [...]
US Federal Reserve Says Economy Improving, but Stresses Intention to Keep Key Interest Rates at Record Lows for Extended Period Citigroup Inc to Consider Shrinking North American Retail Branch Network to Six Metropolitan Areas Germany Lowers Planned Fourth Quarter Debt Sales by 22% on “Improved Funding Conditions” Japan’s Largest Brokerage, Nomura Holdings Inc to Raise [...]
The United States received an unfamiliar blow yesterday, as the World Economic Forum displaced it as the world’s most competitive economy, replacing it with Switzerland. This is the first time that the US has lost the top spot since the index was created in 2004. The Forum cited the United States’ fragile financial markets as [...]
Economists Expect US Commerce Report to Show that the Economy Shrank at an Annualized Rate of 1.5% in Q02 2009 vs US Government’s Projection of a 1% Contraction French Bank, Credit Agricole SA More than Doubles Second Quarter Net Income to EUR 201mm (USD 286mm) on Fewer Writedowns Spirits-Maker, Diageo PLC Posts 7% Increase in [...]
CIT Group Inc to Announce Deal for USD 3B Rescue Financing from Bondholders to Avoid Bankruptcy National Association for Business Economics’ (NABE) Quarterly Survey Indicates US Economy Appears to be Improving, but Downturn Not Over UK Economy to Contract 4.5% in 2009, Worse than Government’s Forecast of 3.5% and the Biggest Decline in A Single [...]
- US Economy Shrinks at 5.7% Rate in First Quarter – Euro Zone Annual Inflation Drops to Zero in May – Time Warner to Spin Off AOL – US Durable Goods Orders Up, Jobless Claims Down
Are investors worried about the U.S. economy? Not really it seems. Wall Street’s most widely-used gauge of investor confidence – the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (VIX) is hinting that investors are less worried about the overall economy. The VIX is calculated from Standard & Poor’s 500 index option prices and is designed to [...]
WASHINGTON (AP) — The economy shrank at a 6.3 percent pace at the end of 2008, the worst showing in a quarter-century, and probably isn’t doing much better now….