World Economy

Heightened oil market volatility, combined with wider fiscal deficits and potential hikes in utility charges and fees, all seemed to impact the real estate market in first quarter of this year,…

Citing slowing global economic growth and domestic challenges like the ageing population, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said it has become “more urgent” for Singapore to transform its economy,…

Once again Greece is at an inflection point. With its cash balances severely stressed, it seems unlikely to be able to pay the cascading debt payments that are falling due over the next few months…

South Korean exports fell at a sharper pace in April as fewer working days ate into shipments already suffering from weak global demand and low global commodity prices, and the trade ministry said…

Unemployment rate in Italy has fallen to its lowest level since 2012. According to the figures released by national statistics institute ISTAT, the unemployment rate dropped to 11.4% in March, 0.3…

Reform is badly needed, not just more stimulus. Spring reviews confirm what is already known—more downgraded growth expectations for 2016 and possibly 2017.

Starting in early February by…

Kazakhstan’s credit grade was cut one level by Fitch Ratings, which cited the effect of depressed oil prices on Central Asia’s biggest energy exporter’s economy.

Construction company Saudi Binladin Group has laid off 50,000 staff, a newspaper reported, as pressure on the industry rises amid government spending cuts to survive an era of cheap oil.

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The Canadian economy wasn’t expected to turn in a stellar performance in February, certainly not after a “blowout” start to the year. And that’s just about it.

Gross domestic product…

Vietnam’s national index of industrial production in the first four months of this year surged 7.3% year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office, bizhub reported. In the first four…

The island is “broke” and business is bad, a citizen says. Of course, Puerto Rico still has bonds—about $70 billion outstanding. What it’s short of is cash to repay them with, Bloomberg reported.…

American International Group is offering for sale about $1.2 billion worth of shares in China’s PICC Property and Casualty Co Ltd in a block deal, IFR said on Saturday, citing a term sheet of the…

The World Bank has projected 6.8% GDP growth for Bangladesh in the next fiscal year (2016-17), Yahoo reported. However, there is no specific forecast for the current fiscal of 2015-16, said lead…

A devastating drought has brought Venezuela, already facing economic and energy crises amid simmering political unrest, to the brink and threatens the future of the oil-rich nation.

Argentina’s strongest unions brought thousands of people into the streets to protest high inflation and job cuts in the biggest demonstrations against President Mauricio Macri since he took office…

The Bank of Japan’s head, Haruhiko Kuroda, added another instance to his record of wrong-footing financial markets this week.

Chile’s jobless rate rose more than expected in the first quarter as two years of sluggish growth finally caught up with the labor market, signaling stronger headwinds for South America’s…

Medivation Inc. rejected an unsolicited $9.3 billion takeover offer from Sanofi, saying it “substantially undervalues” the US drugmaker, which could force a higher offer or draw more bidders.

The plunge in coal markets from Australia to the Netherlands that has put US producers out of business will probably soon claim another victim: Czech miner New World Resources Plc.

The yen hit an 18-month high on Friday as investors wagered the Bank of Japan might be done adding fresh stimulus to the economy, culminating in a sharp rise on the week that dragged stocks around…

The eurozone economy has finally recouped all the ground lost in the recessions of the past eight years after official figures Friday showed that the 19-country single currency bloc expanded by a…

Debt-heavy Portugal is waiting to find out whether it will continue being eligible for vital financial help from the European Central Bank.

The US economy inched forward at the weakest pace in two years from January through March, as consumer spending growth slowed, business investment plunged and exports declined further.

Commodity futures linked to China’s vast steel sector rebounded sharply on Friday, led by iron ore and rebar, as robust construction demand spurred buying even as the country’s regulator ordered…

Europe’s biggest corporate-bond rally in more than three years is already sputtering. Bloomberg reported. Returns from investment-grade corporate bonds in euros have slowed to 0.4% in April, …