Sales at U.S. retailers rose more strongly than expected in March, pointing to a broadening of the manufacturing-led economic recovery as inflation pressures remained muted. The Commerce Department said on Wednesday total retail sales jumped 1.6 percent, the largest increase since November as consumers stepped up purchases of vehicles and wide range of goods. January
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U.S. stock index futures added to gains on Wednesday after data showed retail sales rose more than expected, bolstering hopes about consumer spending. S&P 500 futures gained 6.20 points, while Nasdaq futures climbed 13.75 points, and Dow industrial futures added 47 points.
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Economists have nudged up growth forecasts for the United States and Japan but the euro zone and Britain will not fare quite as well as previously expected, the latest Reuters poll of nearly 300 analysts found. As the rich world's economies emerge from their deepest post-war recessions, persistently high unemployment will remain a concern for
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Oil prices are likely to trade around $70 to $80 a barrel in coming months, supported by improving economic and oil market conditions, OPEC said on Wednesday. The monthly report from OPEC said world oil demand would rise by 900,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2010, 20,000 bpd higher than previously forecast, but the need
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Finland's debt metrics vis-a-vis revenues and GDP have risen quickly during the global crisis, Moody's Investors Service said in its new sovereign credit report on the country. Still, due to prudent and proactive economic policies that had substantially cut public debt before the onset of the crisis, Finland remains in a strong position to regain
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Equities rose on Wednesday, pushed higher by expectation-beating results from No.2 U.S. bank JPMorgan and chipmaker Intel, a bullish mood that also rolled into currencies, weakening the dollar. Wall Street also looked set to open higher. Investors remained cautious about Greece, however, pushing its bond yield spreads against German debt wider despite the weekend's European
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Stocks futures rose on Wednesday, pointing to a higher start for Wall Street after the world's top chipmaker Intel Corp (INTC.O) posted better-than-expected first-quarter results and gave an outlook that topped Wall Street forecasts. By 4:18 a.m. ET, futures for the Dow Jones rose 0.2 percent, S&P 500 futures were up 0.2 percent and Nasdaq
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The Treasury department will release new rules on Wednesday that would prevent banks from seizing a borrower's social security to recover unpaid debt, the Wall Street Journal said. The proposed new rules, to be published in the Federal Register, will require banks to check if the borrower has received any direct deposits of federal benefits
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Apple Inc has updated its line of high-end laptops with faster processors, better graphics and longer battery life, as the company continues to take share in the personal computer market. Apple said on Tuesday its 13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro notebooks were refreshed with more powerful Intel processors and new graphics chips from Nvidia.
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A top U.S. Federal Reserve official said on Tuesday he thinks the time to drop the Fed's promise to hold rates low for a long time might be drawing nearer. "A couple of months ago, I was saying I was comfortable with the extended period language," Richmond Federal Reserve Bank President Jeffrey Lacker told reporters
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