The gains in home prices took a slight breather in March. Nationally, values rose 6.5 percent annually, unchanged compared with February, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller home price indexes. February’s reading was revised higher. Larger cities, however, are seeing bigger gains. The nation’s 10 largest metropolitan markets saw home prices increase 6.5 percent annually, […]
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ECB board member Mersch warns Germany on interfering with the central bank's powers
A key member of the European Central Bank (ECB) has fired a not-so-subtle warning to Germany over the central bank’s independence. Yves Mersch, an executive board member of the ECB’s monetary decision-making body since 2012, told the Frankfurt Finance Summit Tuesday, that the ECB’s flexibility and autonomy should not be challenged. “If some countries want […]
Read morePresident Donald Trump is running out of time to deliver a revamp of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) he promised for this year and people involved in the talks say the crunch is largely of his administration’s own making. Negotiators, industry lobbyists, trade experts and lawmakers briefed on the talks described how precious […]
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Italy is 'only ever a few short steps' from a serious risk of losing trust, warns central bank chief
Italy’s central bank chief warned on Tuesday that the state was “only ever a few short steps” from losing investors’ trust as markets dumped stocks and bonds, fearing repeat elections will become a de facto referendum on the country’s euro membership. Prime minister-designate Carlo Cottarelli is set to unveil his cabinet on Tuesday, as tensions […]
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Moody's warns of possible Italy downgrade if debt ratio not put on downward trend
Moody’s said on Tuesday it would downgrade Italy if the fiscal policies of the next government were unable to place the country’s public debt ratio on a sustainable downward trend. The political developments of the last few days have no bearing on Friday’s decision to place Italy’s ratings under review for downgrade, the credit rating […]
Read moreThe contagion risks from a potential Italian implosion should concern market participants once again, according to analysts. The euro zone’s third-largest economy is currently in the midst of an ongoing power struggle, with investors fearful the looming prospect of snap elections could be fought over the country’s role in the European Union and its membership […]
Read moreThe U.S. Federal Reserve will have difficulty raising interest rates significantly beyond the settings of its Japanese and European counterparts, which are still pursuing accommodative policy, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said on Tuesday. Bullard, who has previously flagged the need for a caution in raising rates, told reporters on the sidelines of a […]
Read moreA gunman killed two police officers and a passer-by on Tuesday before being himself shot dead in the center of the eastern Belgian city of Liege, public broadcaster RTBF said on its website. Belgium’s anti-terrorist crisis centre was monitoring the situation, Interior Minister Jan Jambon said on Twitter. It was unclear, however, what lay behind […]
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OECD forum spotlights ‘what brings us together’ as a response to rising populism
Thousands of officials, civil society leaders, private sector players and economic experts have convened this week in Paris for the annual summit of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a 35-nation intergovernmental economic body dedicated to promoting trade and economic progress. Much like the World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos in January, the […]
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Dassault company will continue to play strategic role for France, defense minister says
The Dassault company will continue to play a strategic role for the French armed forces, the country’s defense minister Florence Parly said on Tuesday, following the death of billionaire industrialist Serge Dassault. “This is a company in which the state cannot play down its own interests,” Parly told the Public Senat channel in an interview, […]
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