South Africa Sends Wrong Message to Business, Banking Group Says

South Africa’s government isn’t doing enough to promote business and encourage investment, undermining efforts to grow the economy and create jobs, the head of the country’s banking association said.

Interest rates: economists and homeowners brace for Super Thursday

Britain’s mortgage borrowers will be warned this week to brace themselves for higher interest rates on what City of London traders have dubbed “Super Thursday”.

Yellen: 1st rate hike likely by year end if economy improves

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said Friday she expects to begin raising interest rates later this year — if the job market improves and the Fed is confident inflation will climb closer toward its target rate.

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.

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.

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.

US factory figures help bring calm to markets after days of turmoil

Strong US factory output growth and the intervention of a senior American central bank official brought some relief to markets following three days of turmoil that have knocked billions of pounds off the value of the FTSE 100.

Banks told not to expect seamless global rules

(Reuters) - New global rules making the financial system safer won't be seamless and could be revised soon to help economic growth, senior government and regulatory officials said on Thursday.

U.S. trade deficit narrows on rise in exports

Oct 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. trade gap unexpectedly narrowed in August to its smallest level in seven months on an increase in exports, supporting views of sturdy economic growth in the third quarter.

Fed's Lockhart says weak demand puts rate hike timetable in doubt

(Reuters) - Atlanta Federal Reserve bank president Dennis Lockhart said the U.S. economy is still hampered by weak demand at home and internationally, potentially pushing the need to raise interest rates later into next year.

ECB's Visco says disinflation weighing on high-debt countries

(Reuters) - The euro area may struggle to recover from the economic crisis with entrenched high unemployment and weak investment hitting heavily indebted countries already suffering from disinflation, ECB Governing Council member Ignazio Visco said on Tuesday.

China's export numbers beat forecasts for August

China's latest export numbers rose by 9.4% in August from a year earlier, beating forecasts of about 8% growth.

Factory activity in Europe, Asia cools; demand lull a concern

(Reuters) - Factory activity in Europe and Asia cooled in August after a strong July, as new orders dwindled in the face of escalating tensions in Ukraine and a patchy recovery in China, purchasing managers indexes showed.

Economy improving, so why layoffs?

The economy appears to be gaining steam, but companies are still laying off hundreds of workers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and thousands across the country.

France's Hollande says to speed up reforms, ease tax on poorest

(Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande said on Wednesday he would accelerate reforms while at the same time giving tax breaks to poorer households as he tries to win back confidence from voters who do not trust he can lift the country out of stagnation.

Ghana to seek an IMF program to stabilize cedi

(Reuters) - Ghanaian President John Mahama has ordered his government to open talks with the International Monetary Fund on a program to help stabilize the economy and halt a slide in the cedi currency, officials said on Saturday.

U.S. seen maintaining solid pace of jobs growth in July

(Reuters) - U.S employment growth likely retained enough momentum in July to help buoy the economy for the rest of the year.

China's premier says country's economy improving

BEIJING (AP) — China's economy improved in the latest quarter but faces "downward pressure," and Beijing will increase the strength of targeted policy measures to shore up growth, the country's premier said Monday.

British public sector borrowing rises higher than expected

Britain's public sector finances showed little sign of improvement in May, with economists saying the government appears to be struggling to meet its target for reducing the deficit.

South Africa’s Credit Rating Cut to One Level Above Junk by S&P

South Africa’s credit rating was cut to one level above junk by Standard & Poor’s as the longest mining strike in the nation’s history threatens to drag the economy into recession, curbing government revenue.