POLITICAL ECONOMY - POLICY DAILY

Japan passes $142 billion stimulus budget

Feb 26, 2013 (AFP)

Japan's parliament on Tuesday passed a $142 billion extra budget that forms a key part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's efforts to tackle the deflation that has d...

China ratings firm warns of global 'currency crisis'

Feb 25, 2013 (AFP)

Rising sovereign debt levels in advanced economies are spawning a crisis that threatens to topple the dollar and other reserve currencies, a Chinese credit rati...

China manufacturing growth falls in February

Feb 25, 2013 (AFP)

China's manufacturing growth hit a four-month low in February but remained positive, British banking giant HSBC said Monday, noting that the world's second-bigg...

Chinese 'Dubai' turns into deserted island

Feb 24, 2013 (AFP)

It was billed as China's Dubai: a cluster of sail-shaped skyscrapers on a man made island surrounded by tropical sea, the epitome of an unprecedented property b...

US science policy should focus on outcomes not efficiencies

Feb 21, 2013 (SPX)

Given the huge investment and power of science and technology in the U.S. it is surprising that more attention isn't paid to the policy decisions that drive the...

Outside View: Raising minimum wage to $8.25 is best option

Feb 19, 2013 (UPI)

The recent Congressional Budget Office Report confirms raising the minimum wage in line with inflation to $8.25 is the best course. It would likely not create m...

London elbows out HK for pricey offices, as Rio rises

Feb 19, 2013 (AFP)

London has overtaken Hong Kong to take the title of world's priciest office market, followed by a surprise, fast-rising third place Rio de Janeiro, a survey rel...

Walker's World: Is this a recovery yet?

Feb 17, 2013 (UPI)

The good news that Europe's economy grew at the modest rate of 0.3 percent in the final quarter of last year was reinforced by the U.S. Congress vote to avoid a...

China holiday retail sales jump 15%: government

Feb 16, 2013 (AFP)

China on Saturday said retail sales jumped nearly 15 percent on-year during the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, as consumers splurged on jewellery, clothes an...

EU financial transaction tax divides union

Feb 15, 2013 (UPI)

It's not in force yet but the hotly debated European financial transaction tax has divided the European Union, angered U.S. bankers and threatens jobs in compet...

Recession-hit Japanese economy shrinks again

Feb 14, 2013 (AFP)

Japan's economy shrank for a third quarter at the end of 2012, data showed Thursday, leaving it mired in recession owing to weak export demand, but analysts and...

Argentine inflation up, presaging hardship

Feb 14, 2013 (UPI)

Argentina's inflationary spiral worsened in January, with independent analysts estimating the monthly rate rise may be the highest in 22 months. Critics of Pres...

Obama wagers second term capital on bold reform drive

Feb 12, 2013 (AFP)

US President Barack Obama Tuesday staked his second term political capital on a full-bore drive to cut gun crime, reform the immigration system and to ignite ec...

US economy picks up, China might slow: OECD indicator

Feb 11, 2013 (AFP)

Economic activity in the United States is rising, in the eurozone it is steadying, but in China and India the growth trend is slowing, leading indicators from t...

EU reaches accord on token budget cuts

Feb 08, 2013 (UPI)

EU leaders agreed to cut spending but only by a token amount over 2014-20 amid deepening divisions on ways of tackling recession and inducing growth at the same...

China house price rise accelerates in January

Feb 01, 2013 (AFP)

China's house price increases picked up pace in January on the back of a recovery in the overall economy and signs of looser policy controls, an independent sur...

Asia manufacturing eases in January

Feb 01, 2013 (AFP)

Manufacturing activity across Asia expanded in January as the global economy slowly picks up, a widely watched barometer showed Friday, but moderations in China...

China PMIs indicate recovery continues

Feb 01, 2013 (AFP)

Manufacturing activity in China expanded in January, two separate surveys showed Friday, but they differed on whether the recovery was slowing or accelerating. ...

Japan hails upbeat data as turning point

Jan 31, 2013 (AFP)

Japan on Thursday hailed upbeat factory output numbers as a turning point for the beleaguered economy as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's new government strives to r...

US economy hit brakes in fourth quarter

Jan 30, 2013 (AFP)

The US economy shrank in the fourth quarter last year as Washington slashed defense spending and businesses trimmed inventories ahead of the feared fiscal cliff...