Bloomberg Germany’s industrial base, just emerging from pandemic and unprecedented supply-chain challenges, is taking another beating with Russia’s war on Ukraine hitting its powerhouse car, chemical and precision machinery manufacturers. As the conflict pushes energy costs to new heights and a wave of inflation builds, scores of companies including BMW AG, BASF SE and ThyssenKrupp AG have warned their ...
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Jobless rate drops in nearly every US state
Bloomberg The unemployment rate fell last month in more than half of US states, including in 12 where jobless rates dropped to record lows. Nebraska and Utah, with unemployment at 2.1%, tied for the lowest in the country, according to Labour Department data. Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Wisconsin also posted record lows ...
Read More »Italian business, consumer confidence slump in March
Bloomberg Confidence among Italian businesses and consumers fall sharply on concerns about the economic consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The economic sentiment index fell to 105.4 in March from a revised 107.9 in February, statistics office Istat said. Measures of consumer and manufacturing confidence both declined, with the former reaching its lowest level since January 2021. Expectations for ...
Read More »EU proposes $1.65bn package to shore up food security
Bloomberg The European Union (EU) is proposing a 1.5 billion-euro ($1.65 billion) funding package for farmers, plus freeing up fallow land for crops as it seeks to shore up food security after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Food prices have soared as the war cuts off most shipments from Ukraine, a major grain and chicken exporter. In the first ever release ...
Read More »Hot UK inflation spurs biggest bets on rate cuts in 15 years
Bloomberg Faster inflation would normally fuel expectations for higher interest rates. In the UK, where price gains are the quickest in three decades, traders are betting on rate cuts. They’re paying heed to a warning this month from the Bank of England that surging costs for energy, clothing and food could lead to a weaker growth outlook. Money markets show ...
Read More »Earth Hour 2022: Time to make peace with nature, says UN chief
Abu Dhabi / WAM Noting that climate disruption, biodiversity loss and pollution threaten lives, jobs and health the world over, the UN chief said on Saturday that it was essential “to make peace with nature.” “Without nature’s help, we cannot thrive or even survive on this planet Earth,” Secretary-General António Guterres underscored in his message for Earth Hour, commemorated annually ...
Read More »UAE, Kuwait to establish a new virtual trade corridor
Abu Dhabi / WAM AD Ports Group on Sunday announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Kuwait General Administration of Customs to establish a new virtual trade corridor between the UAE and Kuwait, under the supervision of Department of Economic Development – Abu Dhabi (Added). The signing took place in Kuwait following a visit by ...
Read More »Make-A-Wish UAE fulfills wishes of 8 kids in Egypt
ABU DHABI / WAM Make-A-Wish Foundation UAE fulfilled the wishes of eight critically ill children at the Cairo University Specialised Paediatric Hospital — Abolreesh — in Egypt. The ceremony was attended in the presence of Sheikha Shaikha bint Saif bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, the wife of HH Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Adviser to the UAE President, and ...
Read More »EU trade in agricultural goods hit $381bn in 2021
Brussels / WAM In 2021, the value of trade (imports plus exports) of agricultural goods between the EU and the rest of the world hit €347.0 billion ($381.16 billion), €20.7 billion more than in 2020. The EU exported €196.9 billion worth of agricultural products and imported €150.0 billion, generating a surplus of €46.9 billion, data by Eurostat showed. Between ...
Read More »AIM to tackle investment trends to maximise potential of businesses
DUBAI / WAM The UAE’s excellent handling of the pandemic and the implementation of key business accelerators are being seen by economic experts as strategic factors in the continued growth of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the country. Looking to create more interest in investing not only in UAE but also across the globe, the 2022 edition of Annual ...
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