Business

April 5, 2011

Oil prices hit fresh highs on supply worries

Oil prices have hit new two-and-a-half year highs as worries continue about…

April 5, 2011

Spain’s jobless level hits record high

The number of Spanish people filing for unemployment benefits rose for its eighth consecutive month in March. The benefit claimant count rose by 34,406 people, to a new record of 4.3 million, the Labour Ministry said. Spain's total jobless rate is…

April 5, 2011

Australia posts trade deficit as disasters hit exports

Australia has posted a shock trade deficit for the month of February as twin natural disasters dented the country's exports. According to the latest data, the trade deficit stood at A$205m ($212m; £131m), the first deficit in 11 months. Analysts…

April 2, 2011

Bank of Ireland shares jump on independence hopes

Bank of Ireland shares have jumped 41% on hopes the government will not have to take a…

April 2, 2011

US unemployment rate falls to new two-year low of 8.8%

The US unemployment rate fell to a new two-year low in March of 8.8%, from 8.9% in February. It was the fourth monthly fall in a row. The unemployment rate has fallen by a percentage point during the last four months. Employers created 216,000 jobs…

April 2, 2011

Eurozone unemployment rate begins to fall

The unemployment rate in the eurozone area has begun to fall, official figures show. For the first time in over a year the percentage of people out of work dipped below 10%, having dropped in February to 9.9%. However, the unemployment rate diverges…

April 2, 2011

Oil price hits 30-month high on new supply fears

Oil prices jumped to their highest close in two-and-a-half years as Libya's conflict and Middle East unrest sparked fresh worries about supplies. Brent crude for delivery in May rose $2.23 to $117.36 a barrel, its highest close since August 2008…

April 2, 2011

Brazil banks sued for Amazon deforestation

Brazil's biggest bank - the state-run Banco do Brasil - is being sued for allegedly funding deforestation in the Amazon. Public prosecutors say the bank lent money to companies that illegally cleared the rainforest and used labour practices…

March 31, 2011

Timothy Geithner seeks uniform exchange rate policy

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has kicked off the G20 meeting in Nanjing with a call for more consistency…

March 31, 2011

Australian dollar hits 29-year high on commodity demand

The Australian dollar has risen to a 29-year high against the US dollar as demand for the country's commodities continues to grow. It rose as high as $1.0318 in trading on Wednesday, the highest since the currency was freely floated in 1983. There…