French employers urge Hollande to speed up reforms, cut spending

(Reuters) - French employer groups called on President Francois Hollande to speed up reforms and cut public spending to revive the ailing economy in a joint statement issued on Sunday ahead of an annual conference of government officials, employers and labor unions.

Gartner: Let’s get ready for ‘digital business,’ especially you security pros

IT security professionals need to ready themselves for the coming “digital business” revolution and a new breed of security implications that it’s sure to bring, said Gartner analyst Jorge Lopez at the Gartner Security and Risk Management Summit yesterday.

UK economic growth boosted by business investment

UK economic growth in the first quarter was helped by the fastest expansion in business investment in two years, official figures have shown.

Americans still hesitant to spend more

Personal income rose 0.4% in May, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. It may not sound like much, but it marked the fifth straight month in a row that incomes rose.

US court fines Credit Suisse trader over bond prices

A New York court has fined a former UK-based Credit Suisse trader for his role in artificially inflating bond prices.

Japan approves string of reforms to revive economy

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has formally announced an outline of his long-awaited growth strategy, a slew of reforms meant to revitalize the economy and restore its waning competitiveness.

Drone markets open in Russia, China and rogue states as America's wars wane

Last October, in a private ceremony held at a stately mansion on the campus of the California Institute of Technology, the Aerospace Historical Society awarded the reclusive, 78-year-old CEO of General Atomics, Neal Blue, with the prestigious Von Karman Wings Award, a sort of Nobel Prize in the field, for “pioneering novel applications" of military drones.

IMF considers asking for longer debt maturities in bailouts

(Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund should ask private bondholders to hold onto the debt of financially distressed countries for longer, as the global lender seeks to improve its sovereign debt restructuring strategy, IMF economists said on Friday.

Recovery Tipped For Hong Kong Stocks

(RTTNews.com) - The losing streak has stretched to three sessions now for the Hong Kong stock market, which has given away more than 135 points or 0.6 percent in that span.

Strong pound likely to dent UK manufacturing growth, warns CBI

Britain's factories have their strongest order books in six months but a rising pound could start to weigh on exports, the CBI has warned.

Ukraine crisis: EU deal to be signed on 27 June

The new president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, has said he will sign a controversial association agreement with the EU on 27 June.

Russia may revise 2014 GDP forecast upwards - economy minister

(Reuters) - Russia's gross domestic product growth forecast of 0.5 percent for 2014 may be revised upwards in September due to the slowing pace of a decline in investment, Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said on Thursday.

IMF cuts US growth forecast as it urges minimum wage hike

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slashed its US growth forecast, urged policy makers to keep interest rates low and raise the minimum wage to strengthen its recovery.

Japan's GPIF should quickly enact portfolio changes: draft

(Reuters) - Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF), the world's biggest pension system, should quickly enact changes to its investment portfolio management strategy, a draft of the government's growth strategy showed on Monday.

Chancellor says 200,000 homes could be built on brownfield land by 2020

Chancellor George Osborne claimed on Friday that 200,000 new homes could be created by 2020 by accelerating development of disused industrial sites.

U.S. consumer sentiment slips in June

(Reuters) - U.S. consumer sentiment fell in June as views by consumers with the lowest incomes soured, a survey released on Friday showed.

China’s New Loans Top Estimates in Boost for Economy

China’s new yuan loans and money supply topped estimates in May as the government supports economic growth while reining in shadow banking.

UK unemployment total falls to 2.16m

The UK jobs market continued to improve in the three months to April, although the rate of wage increases slowed sharply, official figures show.

ECB's long-term loans to see strong demand, won't boost interbank lending: poll

(Reuters) - Demand for the European Central Bank's newly announced long-term loans will be strong, traders polled by Reuters said, but they will do little to boost interbank lending.

Ghana’s Risk Rising as Bank Prints Money to Pay Debt, Fitch Says

Ghana’s central bank is printing money to help finance the government’s budget deficit, threatening to fuel inflation and weaken a currency that’s already the worst performer in Africa this year.

Sisi keeps Egyptian premier to fix economy after turmoil

CAIRO (Reuters) - Newly inaugurated President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reappointed Egypt's prime minister on Monday, signalling continuity as he sets out to fix the economy and overcome political divisions after a long period of turmoil and bloodshed.

Bulgaria halts work on gas pipeline after US talks

Bulgaria is to halt work on its Russian-backed South Stream gas pipeline following criticism from the EU and US. Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski announced that he had "ordered all work to be stopped".

ECB Liquidity Success Depends on Loan Demand, Japan’s Aso Says

The European Central Bank’s bid to head off deflation hinges on the take up for the unprecedented cash it’s pumping into the economy, Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said.

Bundesbank Cuts Prices Forecast as ECB Fights Low Inflation

The Bundesbank cut its inflation forecast for Germany this year, reflecting the euro area’s battle with subdued price pressures.

BOJ's Sato warns euro area of Japan-style deflation risk

Japan, June 5 (Reuters) - The euro area may face a prolonged period of disinflation that risks harming long-term price expectations, a Bank of Japan policymaker said, warning that the region should not take lightly the potential danger of slipping into a Japan-style deflationary period.

Australian PM says tour will boost security

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Wednesday his 12-day, four-nation tour will bolster his country's economic and national security.

Russia, China to create joint rating agency as ties grow

(Reuters) - Russia and China have reached an agreement to create a joint credit rating agency and are working on a series of measures to make trade easier, Russia's finance minister said on Tuesday, a sign of growing ties between the neighbors.

UK manufacturing, mortgage data point to more balanced recovery

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's economic recovery is showing signs of a healthier balance after data on Monday suggested some of the heat is coming out of the housing market while manufacturing remains strong.

Snubs, harsh words at Asia security meet as U.S. and Japan rile China

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - When Japan's defense minister greeted the deputy chief of staff of China's army at a regional security forum this weekend, he was undiplomatically snubbed.

Europe needs to stick to reform path to secure growth: ECB's Mersch

(Reuters) - European policymakers should not give up on efforts to make their economies more efficient and stick to budget rules, despite a strong protest vote in European Parliament elections, the ECB's Yves Mersch said on Saturday.