Positive jobs data from the U.S. and Germany were not enough to keep investors bullish Thursday, as a moderate asset sell-off continued, with traders apparently squaring up their positions in anticipation of earnings season.
South Africa's government is to plough $420 million into a public-private platinum venture with Pallinghurst Resources that has ambitions to become the world's third-largest producer of the precious metal.
Union workers held a general 24 hour strike across Spain Thursday to protest austerity cuts, labor reforms, and its record 23 percent unemployment rate.
Unions brought Spain to a halt to protest heavy budget cuts by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's three-month-old government, but the government vowed to press on with its tough austerity measures and labor reforms.
A general strike and looming deficit pushed Spanish bonds yields up Thursday, leading investors to question if the country will be the next weakest link in the euro zone.
What if the Unites States (a much larger and more powerful nation than Greece) were to face a similar crisis as the Greeks?
U.S. mortgage rates fell below 4 percent following disappointing housing data released in the past week, Freddie Mac said Thursday.
German unemployment rate fell to a record low in March, in contrast to many other nations in the eurozone which suffer from rising unemployment levels, while also showing evidence that growth in the Europe’s largest economy is picking up.
Economic recovery in Europe and North America is diverging and remains fragile, as Canada and the United States experience steady growth and European economies continue to falter, a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Thursday.
Euro zone nations are falling far behind the United States and Canada as a fragile recovery takes root in advanced economies, the OECD said on Thursday, advising central banks to keep easy money flowing so the rebound does not prove short-lived.
Claims for jobless benefits fell to 359,000, but Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned this week that recently improved employment data seem out of sync with the pace of U.S. economic growth.
Experts believe 2012 could mark the beginning of a turnaround for the housing industry, albeit a slow one.
Orders for long-lasting goods rebounded in February from a deep 3.6 percent drop in January as demand for aircraft surged, the government said Wednesday.
Gold prices slid below $1,680 an ounce on Wednesday, extending the previous day's retreat from two-week highs as the momentum sparked by expectations for further monetary easing faded after the metal failed to break through key resistance.
Gold prices steadied around two-week highs on Tuesday after posting their biggest one-day rise since late January in the previous session, boosted by expectations that U.S. interest rates will stay lower for longer and by gains in the euro.
Asian stocks rebounded Tuesday and the dollar eased after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said ultra-loose monetary policy was still needed to reduce unemployment even though the U.S. economy has shown signs of improvement.
Gold prices rose 1 percent on Monday after comments from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that faster growth will be needed to boost employment supported expectations that further quantitative easing measures may be necessary.
After calling the recent recovery a puzzle, markets reacted enthusiastically to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's pronouncements
The Fed chairman said U.S. job market conditions remain weak despite three months of strong hiring and that the improved employment data seem to be out of sync with the overall pace of economic growth.
Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade conceded defeat to his rival Macky Sall in a presidential election runoff. Admitting his defeat in the election, Wade called and congratulated Sall, Senegal state television reported.
Rick Santorum defeated Mitt Romney in the Lousiana presidential primary.
Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania won the Louisiana presidential primary election Saturday, CNN projected, based on exit polls, but he still trails former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney by a wide margin in the 2012 Republican Party nomination race.
