Business

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…

March 31, 2011

American Airlines cuts flights to Japan as demand falls

American Airlines is reducing the number of flights to Japan as travel demand to the country continues to fall. The airline said it will suspend two of its six daily flights to Japan from April 6. Other international airlines like Delta and Qantas…

March 31, 2011

Japan to scrap stricken nuclear reactors

Japan is to decommission four stricken reactors at the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant, the operator says. Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) made the announcement three weeks after failing to bring reactors 1 - 4 under control. Locals would be…

March 29, 2011

South Korea firms in bidding race for Korea Express

Three of South Korea's biggest companies have bid for a controlling stake in Korea Express, the country's biggest logistics firm. POSCO, Lotte Group and CJ Group have all submitted preliminary bids to buy 37.6% of the firm as they look to reduce…