Japan passes $142 billion stimulus budget

TOKYO:Japan's parliament on Tuesday passed a $142 billion extra budget that forms a key part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's efforts to tackle the deflation that has dogged the economy for years.

Sterling under pressure after Moody's cuts UK's AAA rating

The pound came under pressure on Monday as currency traders reacted to the UK's loss of its top AAA credit rating. Having fallen to a two-and-a-half year low against the dollar and a 16-month low against the euro, sterling ended the day little changed. Longer-term, analysts expect the fall in value of the pound to continue.

ECB: Nearly half of bond holdings from Italy

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank says Italian government bonds account for nearly half of its total holdings under a now discontinued bond-buying program launched in 2010 to ease the eurozone's debt crisis.

Obama administration warns of impact of broad budget cut

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration is painting a dire portrait of widespread flight delays, off-limit seashores, and unprotected parks among the many ways the public will feel the effects of automatic federal spending cuts due to begin March 1.

Italy center-left ally says EU must loosen budget rules

ROME (Reuters) - A leading member of Italy's center-left coalition, frontrunner in polls for this weekend's election, said on Thursday the country should seek revisions of European Union budget rules.

White House targets trade secret theft with new strategy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House will tackle the theft of U.S. trade secrets on Wednesday with a new strategy to protect American companies from losing hundreds of billions of dollars in an area of growing concern in relations with China.

Bank of England split 6-3 over more bond purchases

LONDON: The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee was split 6-3 on more bond purchases earlier this month, unexpectedly reviving the prospect that the central bank might restart its quantitative easing programme.

David Cameron hints at time frame for RBS sell-off

David Cameron has pressed Royal Bank of Scotland executives to "accelerate" preparations towards allowing a sell-off of the state-owned bank, possibly before the next general election in 2015.

Draghi dismisses talk of currency war, but watching euro

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Central Bank President Mario Draghi sought to take the heat out of a debate about currency wars on Monday but said the ECB would still have to assess the economic impact of the euro's strength.

Bank of Canada Governor: Focus of Bank of England Job Will Be Price Stability

TORONTO--Departing Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney said he will focus on price stability, growth and reforming the European Union financial system as soon as he takes over as the Bank of England's next governor later this year.

Surprise UK retail sales drop fuels triple-dip recession fears

Cuts in consumer purchasing power and a bout of arctic weather combined in January to cut high street spending for a fourth month, fanning fears that Britain is teetering on the brink of an unprecedented triple dip recession.

Barack Obama predicts US economic rebirth

ASHEVILLE(NORTH CAROLINA): A day after vowing to ignite America's economic engine, President Barack Obama hit the factory floor Wednesday, to promise a rebound in job-creating manufacturing industry.

Euro falls as German, French economies disappoint

LONDON (Reuters) - The euro dropped and European shares fell on Thursday as growth data from the region's two largest economies came in weaker than forecast, throwing a first quarter recovery for the bloc into doubt.

ECB'S Nowotny sees no need to act on forex rates - paper

VIENNA (Reuters) - European Central Bank policymaker Ewald Nowotny sees no need to act now on currencies, he told a newspaper, reiterating the ECB had no target for the euro's exchange rate.

Currency war talk caps moves in euro, shares

LONDON (Reuters) - The euro hovered just above a two-week low against the dollar while world shares lost ground on Monday, as growing talk of currency wars unsettled investors.

Canada rate hike views pushed back as economy struggles: Reuters poll

TORONTO (Reuters) - Half of Canada's primary dealers have recently pushed back forecasts for the timing of the central bank's next interest rate hike, a Reuters poll showed on Friday after weak jobs and housing starts data suggested the economy will struggle in 2013.

EU leaders agree budget cut deal in Brussels

EU leaders have reached an agreement on the budget for 2014-20 after marathon talks in Brussels.

Draghi Signals Euro Strength May Damp ECB Inflation Outlook

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi signaled policy makers are concerned that the euro’s advance could damp inflation and hamper an economic recovery.

Analysis: Even brief spending cuts could hit U.S. economy hard

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy could take a big hit from automatic government spending cuts even if Congress only leaves them in place for a month or two.

German private sector expands at fastest rate since June '11

BERLIN: Germany's private sector expanded at its fastest rate in more than 1-1/2 years in January, a survey showed on Tuesday, suggesting Europe's largest economy is on the road to recovery after shrinking in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Watch what central bankers say, not what they do

LONDON (Reuters) - Central banking is in a state of flux as policymakers from Tokyo to Washington ditch prevailing orthodoxies to try to grab a bigger share of a slow-growing global economic pie.

As U.S. Growth Lags, Some Press the Fed to Do Still More

WASHINGTON — In the five months since the Federal Reserve started a campaign to increase growth and reduce unemployment, the economy has slowed and unemployment has increased.

Euro Rallies to Highest Since 2011 as ECB Balance Sheet Shrinks

The euro touched the highest level against the dollar in 14 months as the European Central Bank’s balance sheet contracted while the Federal Reserve said it would continue pumping money into the U.S. economy.

Japan Said to Have Bought 10.3 Percent of ESM Bonds in January

Japan purchased 10.3 percent of bonds issued by the European Stability Mechanism last month, a step which may help to deflect overseas criticism of the country’s monetary easing.

ECB's Asmussen Says Euro-Zone Periphery Still Challenged

A number of states in the euro zone's periphery are still suffering from weak economies and fiscal challenges, despite recent progress, Joerg Asmussen, executive board member of the European Central Bank, said in an interview with Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung published Wednesday.