Bad news for Brazil: Economy contracted 1.7 per cent in the second quarter December 1, 2015 Brazil's economy contracted for the third quarter-in a row during the three months to the end of September. GDP for the Latin American country shrank 1.7 per cent compared to the second quarter, which was a bigger decline than the 1.2 per cent economists expected. Overall, Brazil's economy is now 4.5 per cent smaller than [...]
Christmas trees could be cheaper to import this year thanks to falling oil prices and a weaker euro December 1, 2015 Forget about cheap fuel, Christmas trees could be a bargain this year, thanks to falling oil prices and a weaker euro. The currency in two of the biggest Christmas tree-producing nations, Denmark and Norway, is weaker at the moment, which means British Christmas tree importers will get more for their money. The Danish krone is pegged to the [...]
Eurozone unemployment in October fell to its lowest in three years. December 1, 2015 The rate of unemployment across the Eurozone has fallen to 10.7 per cent, falling for a second consecutive month to its lowest in three years. That beat expectations of 10.8 per cent for October, the latest official statistics reveal. The number of jobless fell by 13,000 putting the total number out of work at 17.24m across [...]
Asia shares rise despite contraction in China’s manufacturing sector December 1, 2015 Manufacturing activity in China declined for the fourth month in a row in November. The official purchasing managers' index fell to 49.6 for the month – down from 49.8 in October and the fourth consecutive month of declines. It fell behind the consensus expectation of 49.8 among analysts polled by Reuters. The figure was also a [...]
Eurozone beats FTSE 100 as miners drag on index – London Report December 1, 2015 Falls in mining company BHP Billiton and Aberdeen Asset Management yesterday and a failure to benefit from a weak euro hindered the FTSE 100 as it lagged behind its European counterparts. The FTSE 100 index was down 19.06 points, or down 0.3 per cent, at 6,356.09 by the close, lagging sharp gains in top Eurozone [...]
Connected work worth nearly $63bn worldwide by 2020 and £2bn in the UK December 1, 2015 The connected work market – where people buy and sell jobs and services using online platforms – will be worth almost $63bn (£41.9m) worldwide in five years time. Research released today by PwC also set the value of the UK market for connected work at nearly £2bn by 2020. At the moment, the professional service [...]
Festive boom sees twice as many jobs as jobseekers in the UK, although average advertised salaries continue to fall December 1, 2015 The UK had twice as many jobs available as it did jobseekers in October, with 1,229,131 vacancies and only 664,130 people available to fill them. According to a study released today by job search engine Adzuna, recruitment drives for festive season roles caused available jobs in October to skyrocket, going up 4.3 per cent from 1,178,129 [...]
Brits still unsure about where to invest their cash December 1, 2015 People in the UK are unsure about how to invest their money, a study released today by the Future Foundation has shown. Over a third of people, 38 per cent, said they don’t have enough knowledge, confidence, or available cash to make investments. This is despite most people, 81 per cent, thinking they should take [...]
Sanctions will cost Turkey and Russia billions, IHS economists warn November 30, 2015 The Russian and Turkish economies will both suffer heavy losses after Moscow imposed economic sanctions in response to the downing of a fighter jet, a new economic report has warned. Turkey was a major beneficiary of sanctions imposed on Russia by the EU last year in response to its involvement in the annexation of Crimea in [...]
Insurance losses now valued at AUS$75m following catastrophic wildfires in South Australia November 30, 2015 Bushfires in South Australia have generated insured losses of AUS$75m (£36m) as of today. According to figures from the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), 525 claims have been made so far, and the value of the loss is expected to increase significantly as assessors continue to investigate claims over the coming days. The wildfires broke [...]