As the global economy is entering arguably another tumultuous year, spotlight is sharply on the prospects, policies and risks of China's economy, which has all but sailed past Japan's as the world's second largest after the United States.
Stocks rose moderately higher, given a slight boost by a small upward revision to third-quarter GDP and an uptick in sales of existing homes.
The property industry should not an important pillar of the economy, said Yun Xiaosu, vice minister of the Ministry of Land and Regulation.
Existing home sales in the U.S. picked up again in November, after a surprising drop during October, according to a report by the National Association of Realtors.
The U.S. economy grew 2.6 percent in the third quarter, according to a third estimate by the U.S. Commerce Department, up from the 2.5 percent estimate given in November.
Futures on major U.S. stock indices point to flat opening on Wednesday after government data showed that US economic activity grew at a 2.6 percent annual rate in the third quarter.
The final estimate of third quarter U.S. GDP growth was upwardly revised to an annual rate of 2.6 percent, compared to 2.5 percent from the second estimate and 2.0 percent from the first estimate.
UK economic growth in the third quarter was lower than previously estimated, raising concerns that growth will slow further next year.
Members of Bank of England's policy panel continue to be split three ways over new policies to contain inflation and spur economic growth, according to the minutes released by the Monetary Policy Committee on Wednesday.
Contrary to the prevailing view, the U.S. economy will gain growth momentum in the year ahead, while GDP will grow stronger in Europe and Japan, research firm IHS Global Insight has said in its forecast for 2011.
New public sector borrowing in the U.K soared to a record high of 22.3-billion pounds sterling last month, higher than analysts expected, and up from 17.4-billion pounds a year ago, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Gold prices will keep rising over the next two years to hit $1,600 per ounce by the end of 2011 and $2,000 by end of 2012, as fresh shocks to the global financial system are expected, an analyst has said.
The CBI, the British business organization, reduced its forecast for UK economic growth in the first quarter of 2011 to 0.2 percent from 0.3 percent; although it noted that the recovery is expected to be “maintained.”
The Spanish economy is slowly recovering, but broad reforms will still be required to create jobs and improve government finances, according to a report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
While analysts are almost unanimous that Japan's gross domestic product (GDP) will fall in the current quarter, some economists see the chance of the country slipping into recession in the first quarter of the next year.
The President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir stashed away as much as $9-billion of his nation's in foreign bank accounts, according to US diplomatic cables leaked to WikiLeaks.
Brazil’s unemployment rate fell to a record low in November as the country is set to witness the fastest growth in more than two decades.
Obama's tax cut plan is a done deal now. By cutting taxes and increasing spending, it is essentially a fiscal stimulus package for the next two years that will boost GDP growth, create jobs, and add to the budget deficit.
Moody's Investor Services on Friday downgraded debt-stricken Ireland's rating by five notches, citing the country’s troubled banking sector, uncertain economic outlook and decline in the Irish government's financial strength.
Business sentiment in Germany continued to improve for the third straight month in December, helped by better conditions in retailing and wholesaling, according to the Ifo Business Survey.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is concerned about the fiscal health of several Pacific Island countries.
While peripheral European countries are forced by the bond market to raise taxes and cut spending in 2010, they were some of the steepest tax cutter among OECD members from 2007 to 2009.