International News

  Bloomberg The Canadian economy accelerated in the second quarter as the nation benefited from surging commodity prices and got a boost from the lifting of Covid-19 lockdowns, though signs are emerging the momentum is waning. Gross domestic product rises at a 3.3% annualised rate after a 3.1% increase in the first three months of the year, Statistics Canada reported. ...

  Bloomberg Spanish inflation eased for the first time in four months, though surging energy prices as Russia limits supplies before the winter mean the retreat from record highs will probably be slow. European Union-harmonised consumer prices rise as much as 10.3% from a year ago in August, down from July’s 10.7% increase, Spain’s statistics service said in a statement. ...

  Bloomberg US pending home sales fall in July for the sixth time this year to the lowest level since the start of the pandemic, extending the housing market’s sharp downturn as high borrowing costs sideline prospective buyers. The National Association of Realtors’ index of contract signings to purchase previously owned homes decreased 1% from a month earlier to 89.8, ...

  Bloomberg Argentina etched out a job market program aimed at addressing informal labour as it seeks to lower government spending. A government decree created the “puente” or bridge program by which social welfare recipients can continue to receive their handouts for a year after starting a formal, payroll job. The government will also cover all employer contributions during that ...

Bloomberg German inflation accelerated to the most since the euro was introduced on soaring energy prices, bolstering calls for a jumbo interest-rate increase when the European Central Bank meets next week. Consumer prices in Europe’s biggest economy, calculated under European Union harmonised standards, jumped 8.8% from a year ago in August, matching the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of ...

  Bloomberg US job openings rise unexpectedly in July after a sizable upward revision to the previous month, underscoring persistent tightness in the labour market as employers compete for a limited supply of workers. The number of available positions edged up to 11.2 million in the month — topping all estimates — from a revised 11 million in June, the ...

  Bloomberg Swedish housing prices will continue falling until the middle of next year as the share of household income that goes towards mortgage interest payments is set to double, economists at the Nordic region’s largest bank said in a new forecast. Nordea Bank Abp now expects prices to drop 15% from a peak earlier this year, which is larger ...

  Bloomberg Canada’s current account surplus came in much less than expected, as rising oil profits to foreign investors offset a surge in energy revenue. The country ran a current account surplus of C$2.7 billion ($2.1 billion) in the second quarter, Statistics Canada reported, well short of the C$6.8 billion projected by economists. The agency also cut its estimate for ...

  Bloomberg It’s starting to look like nothing can stop the British pound from sinking to new lows. With talk about inflation surpassing 18% next year and families across the country likely to be pushed into energy poverty this winter, the UK’s economic woes are getting worse by the day. The consensus among traders is that the Bank of England ...

  Bloomberg French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne is leaving open the possibility of a new tax on corporate “super profits” after lawmakers rejected the move last month. In an interview published in Le Parisien newspaper, Borne said she’d prefer alternatives to a windfall levy, such as companies lowering prices for consumers and giving bonuses to employees to bolster their spending ...