The FTSE 100 index edged lower on Tuesday on fresh tensions in the Middle East and as lower copper prices saw miners turn in another weak start.
Factory gate inflation slowed more than expected in August and firms' raw material costs dropped at their sharpest monthly rate in 1-1/2 years, official data showed on Monday.
Housebuilder Bovis Homes Group Plc reported an 18 percent rise in first half profit on Monday and kept its expectations for the year unchanged
Consumer confidence tumbled to its weakest in at least 2 1/2 years in August after the Bank of England's surprise interest rate hike
Global manufacturing growth cooled in August, new orders expanded at their weakest pace in a year and inflationary pressures eased, a report said on Friday.
The U.S. economy grew at a 2.9 percent annual pace in the second quarter, faster than originally reported but less of an upward revision than expected, as higher business investment offset a drop in residential construction, a Commerce Department report showed on Wednesday.
U.S. consumer confidence slipped to a nine-month low in August on inflation and job worries, while minutes of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting showed most officials thought inflation would ease in the months ahead.
Central bankers and top academics departed here on Sunday after two days of discussions on how the global economic landscape is shifting.
Wall Street's summer comes to a close next week with what could be a toxic mix for stocks: No major earnings, an overload of A-list economic data, a storm headed for the Gulf of Mexico and trading desks staffed with third-string dealers.
Rising oil prices lifted European energy stocks on Friday while most financial markets were focused on an upcoming speech by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe extended its deadline for the country's currency changeover until Monday, causing chaos throughout the country over the weekend as Zimbabweans went on whirlwind of shopping sprees.
Employment in Europe appears to be rising in earnest following years of sluggish economic growth when companies either cut staff or shunned new recruits to safeguard profits.
President George W. Bush will wrap up conferring with his economic team on Friday on ways to keep the economy growing against a backdrop of higher interest rates, mixed data and fears of rising inflation.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is contemplating a change in the consumer price index that may have an impact on how markets and policymakers interpret inflation data, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing a government official.
The U.S. economy will grow at a sluggish pace for the remainder of this year and into 2007 as the worst of inflationary pressure is yet to come, a survey of top forecasters showed on Thursday.
U.S. business productivity rose at a 1.1 percent annual rate in the second quarter but unit labor costs jumped sharply, according to a government report that gave the
Federal Reserve a final piece of inflationary data as a pivotal meeting started on Tuesday.
Expectations of a halt in the Federal Reserve's two-year campaign of interest rate rises kept the dollar near two-month lows on Tuesday, while auto firms led stocks higher in Asia and Europe.
The Bank of Japan, which last month raised interest rates for the first time in six years, is expected to keep its powder dry this week as it confirms that economic growth is slowing and with inflation yet to materialize.
Central Banks around the world are tightening credit due to economic growth that could spin out of control. Skeptics say they could be going too far, while other say the banks aren't going far enough.
South Africa's largest money lender, Absa Group Ltd announced on Thursday that full-year earnings might be lower than 2005's performance, in spite of reported strong first half-year earnings.
Zimbabwe's central bank has announced that three zeroes will be removed from every bank note in an attempt to help consumers deal with hyperinflation of almost 1,200 percent.
Business activity in the U.S. services sector in July and new orders at U.S. factories in June were surprisingly weak, two reports showed on Thursday, signaling that economic growth was decelerating.
