EU won't sanction France, Italy on budget yet

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union head office is opting not to sanction two of its biggest economies just yet for missing public finance targets and instead will give France and Italy until the spring to come up with better plans to cut their debts and deficits.

Dollar Gains for Fifth Month as U.S. Economy Diverges From World

The dollar advanced for a fifth consecutive month as the U.S. moves closer to its first interest-rate increase since 2006, while policy makers from Japan, the euro-area and China pledge further stimulus to support growth.

German unemployment rate falls to a record low

Germany's unemployment rate has hit a record low, but slower inflation has raised concerns over deflation.

Juncker reveals giant EU investment plan

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has given details of a €315bn (£250bn; $393bn) investment plan to kick-start Europe's economy.

Private consumption spike helps Germany avoid recession in third quarter

(Reuters) - A sharp rise in private consumption more than compensated for stubborn weakness in investment, helping the German economy post modest growth in the third quarter and avoid recession, data showed on Tuesday.

Countdown to missed opportunity for EU economy

(Reuters) - The countdown has begun to what threatens to be a missed opportunity to revive Europe's stalled economy.

Unemployment rates fall in two-thirds of US states

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Unemployment rates fell in 34 U.S. states in October, a sign that steady hiring this year has been broadly dispersed through most of the country.

Tax debts: HMRC powers to raid bank accounts revised by Treasury

Controversial plans that allow HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to raid bank accounts to collect tax debts have been revised by the Treasury.

China Cuts Interest Rates to Boost Flagging Economy

China’s central bank has cut interest rates, for the first time in more than two years.

Rajan Should Cut Benchmark India Rate, Central Bank Adviser Says

Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan should cut the benchmark interest rate as it will help growth recover without stoking inflation, a member of the central bank’s monetary policy advisory panel said.

France plans to beef up labor reforms

(Reuters) - The French government will press ahead cautiously with controversial labor reforms making it easier to fire staff, as it seeks to fight unemployment by making the job market more flexible, officials said on Tuesday.

Japan PM Shinzo Abe calls snap election in December

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called an early election, two years ahead of schedule. At a news briefing, he said he would dissolve parliament later this week and was also delaying a planned but unpopular increase in sales tax.

Banking culture needs fundamental overhaul not fines, Mark Carney says

Mark Carney has warned bankers they should lose more of their pay in cases of wrongdoing – in addition to forfeiting bonuses – after a series of fines for bad conduct have failed to improve standards across the scandal-hit industry.

Merkel urges Europeans to speed up TTIP trade talks with U.S.

SYDNEY - German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged European nations on Sunday to speed up their negotiations with the United States over a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement between the U.S. and EU.

G20's Carney says bank crisis reforms "substantially complete"

LONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - The job of fixing flaws that led to the 2007-09 financial crisis is largely done and the focus will now turn to spotting new risks and rebuilding trust among regulators, the Financial Stability Board said on Friday.

Australia's Abbott wants economic reform to be focus at G20

(Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, the host of the G20 Leaders Summit, said on Saturday he wanted an informal retreat of leaders to discuss economic reform but was open to other issues.

IMF warns Russia's economy to suffer from falling oil prices

(Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund on Thursday welcomed Russia's move to float the rouble, but warned it would not be enough to cushion the country's oil-dependent economy from the impact of falling crude prices.

Interest rates may be held until late 2015 as inflation likely to fall below 1%

The Bank of England has signalled that interest rates could remain on hold until next autumn as inflation is likely to fall below 1% in early 2015.

Dollar's rise natural given relative strength of U.S.: Fed's Rosengren

(Reuters) - Boston Federal Reserve bank President Eric Rosengren said the rise of the dollar against currencies like the yen and euro reflects the strength of the U.S. economy and doesn't indicate a currency war is developing.

UK employers call for government action to boost earnings

(Reuters) - Britain should allow workers to earn more before they start to pay "National Insurance" social security contributions and provide more childcare to boost living standards, one of country's leading employers' groups said on Monday.

Kuroda sprang easing surprise to head off damaging inflation forecast

(Reuters) - The Bank of Japan Governor not only surprised the markets with his latest splurge of monetary easing.

Mark Carney: Bumpy ride ahead for global economy

Dramatic shifts in the financial landscape mean that a return to normal market conditions “could be bumpy”, Mark Carney, the Bank of England’s Governor has said.

Luxembourg and Juncker under pressure over tax deals

French, German and Dutch finance ministers have rounded on Luxembourg for allowing multinational companies to create complicated structures to avoid billions of dollars of tax.

Where the Next Financial Crisis Will Come From

The next financial crisis won’t come from the banking sector. That’s the message implicit in the latest report on the global financial sector from the Financial Stability Board, the group that monitors what’s happening with the world’s money flow.

Pace of UK economic growth expected to halve as service sector slows

The pace of Britain’s recovery is expected to almost halve by the end of the year after a survey showed the services sector expanded at the slowest pace in almost 18 months in October.

Greece proposes bad debt write-off for small businesses

(Reuters) - Greece's government on Monday proposed forgiving up to half of about 40 billion euros in bad loans incurred by small businesses, to take some strain off a sector hammered by a six-year recession.

World Bank to Cut 500 Jobs Globally, Create New Posts in India

Washington: The World Bank plans to slash 500 jobs in the next three years globally, even as it looks to create up to 300 new positions in India to meet business needs.

RPT-China's October official PMI edges down to 50.8

Nov 1 (Reuters) - China's factory sector grew in October but at a pace that was slightly slower than expected, underlining the challenges facing the sector as manufacturers fight rising costs and softening demand in a cooling economy.

U.K. Consumer Confidence Weakens as Euro Area Hampers Economy

U.K. consumer confidence weakened this month as Britons’ outlook for the economy deteriorated, according to GfK NOP Ltd. The research group’s household-sentiment index fell to minus 2 from minus 1 in September.

Germany denies report on post-bailout aid for Greece

(Reuters) - The German government on Thursday denied a Greek media report that Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and his Greek counterpart Gikas Hardouvelis had reached an agreement on further support for Greece after it exits its bailout program.