World Economy

The European Commission launched a new trade policy on Wednesday designed to connect more with a skeptical public and to conclude more free trade agreements, notably reviving talks with the United…

The (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council’s insurance industry is expected to reach $62.1 billion by 2020, a new report has found, according to Gulf Business.

According to research by Alpen…

China’s economic growth is expected to fall below 7% for the first time since the global financial crisis in the third quarter, putting pressure on policymakers to roll out more support measures…

Japan’s government lowered its assessment of the economy on Wednesday as output sags, in a worrying sign that recovery is stalling as overseas demand weakens, according to Reuters.

The…

Consumers in the US tempered purchases at retailers in September, pocketing the savings from lower fuel costs and making for a weak finish to the third quarter, Bloomberg reported.

The UK unemployment rate fell to a seven-year low of 5.4% in the three months to August, official figures have shown, BBC reported. It was the lowest jobless rate since the second quarter of 2008…

Wells Fargo reported a slight gain in third-quarter earnings on Wednesday, helped by an increase in borrowing from consumers and businesses, ABC reported. The San Francisco-based bank earned $5.44…

Wall Street banking giant JP Morgan Chase reported higher profits in the three months to September but still missed analysts’ expectations, BBC reported. The largest US bank by assets posted a net…

Bank of America has reported a net profit of $4.07 billion for the three months to the end of September against a loss of $470 million a year earlier, according to BBC. It comes a year after the…

Much has been said about how the VW emissions scandal may affect the “Made in Germany” label. Now Brand Finance, an asset valuation consultancy, has put a number on the damage to Germany’s brand…

With their holdings of government bonds at record highs, hedge funds are making further inroads into the $12.9 trillion Treasury market by trading on platforms historically dominated by primary…

Johnson & Johnson reported a 7.4% fall in quarterly sales as the impact of a strong dollar more than offset higher sales of its older drugs such as Invega line of products for schizophrenia…

The government says it has raised £591.1 million ($899.7 million) from selling its final stake in Royal Mail at 455p a share, according to BBC.

The money was raised from selling a 13% stake…

British payments processor Worldpay WPG.L listed on the London Stock Exchange on Tuesday in an initial public offering valuing the company at 4.8 billion pounds ($7.4 billion), the biggest…

Europe’s largest software maker, SAP, has watched its operating profits surge in the third quarter, beating analysts’ expectations. The Walldorf, a Germany-based company, also confirmed its…

Private wealth will expand at a weaker pace through 2020 than previously forecast because the global economy isn’t advancing as quickly as expected, according to Credit Suisse Group AG.

Barclays is set to appoint former JP Morgan banker James “Jes” Staley as its new chief executive, BBC reported. It is understood the Barclays board has approved the appointment of Staley and that…

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways, one of the Persian Gulf region’s largest carriers, has signed a $700 million deal with IBM to develop its security, mobile and analytics technology, according to…

The Republic of Ireland’s finance minister is due to announce tax cuts and spending increases in the country’s last budget before an election, BBC reported. The country exited its international…

The fact that the current US economic expansion has gone on for six years does not mean a new recession is likely close, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said on Tuesday, Reuters reported. “…

Wells Fargo & Co. agreed to buy about $32 billion in assets from General Electric Co. and take on about 3,000 employees as the industrial giant retreats from financial services, according to…

US small business confidence rose marginally in September as stock market volatility raised concerns about sales growth, suggesting the economy was expanding at a moderate pace.

Russia’s central bank will probably reduce its key interest rate to near the level of inflation in two years if price growth eases to policy makers’ 4 percent target in 2017, Governor Elvira…

A survey shows investor confidence in Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, has fallen for the seventh consecutive month as concern about the fallout from the Volkswagen scandal adds to worries about…

Inflation as measured by the Consumer Prices Index fell to -0.1% in September, official figures have shown, BBC reported.

The Office for National Statistics said that a smaller than usual…