South Africa's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell for the fourth straight month to a seasonally adjusted 44.2 in July from 53.9 in June, sponsor Kagiso Securities said on Monday.
High inflation and soaring real estate prices have thrown thousands of residents into dire straits.
After two weeks of acrimony, Democrats and Republicans, perhaps after having stared into the abyss, returned to the bargaining table Saturday. Still, no one will believe the issue has been resolved until President Barack Obama signs a bill that raises the debt ceiling and cuts the budget deficit.
If it was a stock mutual fund, Apple would be among the ten largest in the U.S.
Think a U.S. Government default on its debt won't affect you immediately? Think again: a default would likely weaken the dollar substantially, pushing up oil prices almost immediately, and that would send already-high U.S. gas prices to the stratosphere.
Anemic U.S. growth is not enough to prompt Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to call for a new round of monetary stimulus.
U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) rose just 1.3 percent in the second quarter and a scant, revised 0.4 percent in the first quarter -- statistics that reveal a U.S. economy that's not only growing at a very slow rate, it's in danger of falling back into a recession.
The U.S. economy grew at a slow-crawl pace in the first half of this year, slower than economists had expected. Unemployment remains high also. Until companies stop hoarding cash and start hiring again, the environment isn't likely to change soon.
The U.S. Commerce Department reported Friday that the U. S. economy barely grew at all in revised numbers for the first quarter of this year.
To be sure, long-term, the U.S. budget deficit must be eliminated. But if policy makers cut federal spending too much, too soon during a period of weak demand, the result will be another recession.
The White House is touting a new government analysis that anticipates health care costs consuming a growing share of the nation's GDP, pointing to the fact that the new Affordable Care Act will have a minimal impact on the rising costs.
South Africa's official jobless rate rose further in the second quarter of this year as the mining and manufacturing sectors shed jobs.
A government analysis predicted that spending on health care will steadily increases over the next decade, a projection that the White House said vindicated the Affordable Care Act because, despite a large increase in those with health insurance, the increase would be only slightly affected by the new health care law.
It is understandable that foreign investors have been losing confidence with the U.S.?s ability to deal with its debt issue
Standard & Poor's on Wednesday cut Greece's sovereign credit rating further into junk territory, lowering it to CC from CCC, saying the European Union's proposed debt restructuring would put the country into "selective default."
'History shows that even when the decision to raise the debt ceiling goes down to the wire, it does not lead to a default or a change in the perception that the US is the gold standard against which to benchmark other debt. This time around the stakes are higher.'
Gold prices hit a record high at more than $1,623 an ounce and Asian stock markets were largely flat, as news out of Washington indicated politicians were making little progress in ending the deadlock over lifting the U.S. debt ceiling.
Asian stocks and the U.S. dollar fell on Wednesday while gold hit a record high at more than $1,623 an ounce, as a drip feed of news out of Washington indicated politicians were making little progress on a plan to lift the U.S. debt ceiling.
The United States will lose its top-notch AAA credit rating from at least one major rating agency, according to a Reuters poll that also found wrangling over the debt ceiling has already damaged the economy.
The U.S. will lose its top-notch AAA credit rating from at least one major rating agency, according to a Reuters poll that also found wrangling over the debt ceiling has already damaged the economy.
In the face of growing discontent with the economy and almost two weeks of protest over a housing crisis, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has introduced a series of reforms
For most Americans, talk of a U.S. Government default is a little complex. What the American people really want to know is, assuming the U.S.Government defaults, where should one consider putting a portion of their money? Glad you asked.
