Archive for August, 2008

Chinese official says no need to speed renminbi rise (Reuters)

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

Reuters - China need not accelerate the
appreciation of its renminbi currency against the US dollar,
the Financial Times quoted a senior Chinese economic
policy-maker as saying.

Gulf oil output at a trickle ahead of Gustav (Reuters)

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

Hurricane Gustav in a satellite image taken August 31, 2008. (NOAA/Handout/Reuters)Reuters - U.S. energy companies shut nearly all
offshore oil production and were racing to bring down
flood-prone Louisiana refineries on Sunday ahead of Hurricane
Gustav’s landfall, which could rival the wrath of 2005’s
Hurricane Katrina.

Commerzbank to buy Dresdner, axe 9,000 jobs (Reuters)

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

Allianz SE CEO Michael Diekmann arrives for the company's annual news conference in Munich February 21, 2008. (Michaela Rehle/Reuters)Reuters - Commerzbank agreed to buy
Dresdner Bank from Allianz on Sunday in a $14.5
billion all-German deal that will break the country’s banking
mould and cost 9,000 jobs.

Alitalia faces key union talks as rescue takes off (Reuters)

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

Workers leave during a lunch break at Alitalia's headquarters in Rome, April 24, 2008. (Chris Helgren/Reuters)Reuters - Alitalia’s unions will hold talks with
the government on Monday on a rescue plan for the airline and
on job losses — which a minister said could be under 5,000 —
after it sought bankruptcy protection on Friday.

Hard-up consumers seen seeking solace in gadgets (Reuters)

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit opens a refrigerator at the Miele exhibition stand during his opening tour at the International Funkaustellung (IFA) consumer electronics fair in Berlin August 29, 2008. (Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)Reuters - Consumer electronic makers are bracing
themselves for slower growth in the second half of this year
and in 2009, but count on consumers turning to home
entertainment amid tougher economic times and tighter budgets.

Personal Income Off 0.7% As Spending Lags Inflation (Investor's Business Daily)

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

Investor’s Business Daily - Consumers put the brakes on spending while personal income plunged in July, the Commerce Department said Friday, as the effect of rebate checks faded and inflation sapped buying power.

Consumer spending flags, but confidence rises (Reuters)

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

A shopper walks past a store display in New York July 1, 2008. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)Reuters - Personal income tumbled unexpectedly
in July and inflation-adjusted spending shrank as government
economic stimulus waned, but consumer spirits rose this month,
a hint the economy may muddle through its woes.

Suitmakers hit hard as retailers want discounts (Reuters)

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

Reuters - Competition and a move away from
tailored dressing, only exacerbated by a weak economy, are
hurting the men’s suit business hard, and retailers are adding
to manufacturers’ pain by demanding more discounts.

Investors Exited Stock Funds In July (Investor's Business Daily)

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

Investor’s Business Daily - Investors yanked $26.36 billion from stock funds in July — the most since $44.84 billion in January. July trumps June’s outflow figure of $4.82 billion, according to the Investment Company Institute.

Commerzbank to buy Dresdner in $15 billion deal (Reuters)

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

Allianz SE CEO Michael Diekmann arrives for the company's annual news conference in Munich February 21, 2008. (Michaela Rehle/Reuters)Reuters - Commerzbank agreed to buy
Dresdner Bank from Allianz on Sunday in an
all-German, cost-saving deal that values Dresdner at $15
billion and breaks the country’s rigid banking mould.

U.S. Gulf oil output at a trickle ahead of Gustav (Reuters)

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

The center of Hurricane Gustav is pictured over the Caribbean Sea in this NOAA satellite image taken early August 29, 2008. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Handout/Reuters)Reuters - U.S. energy companies shut nearly all
offshore oil production and were racing to bring down
flood-prone Louisiana refineries on Sunday ahead of Hurricane
Gustav’s landfall, which could rival the wrath of 2005’s
Hurricane Katrina.

Alitalia faces key union talks as rescue takes off (Reuters)

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

Workers leave during a lunch break at Alitalia's headquarters in Rome, April 24, 2008. (Chris Helgren/Reuters)Reuters - Alitalia’s unions will hold talks with
the government on Monday on a rescue plan for the airline and
on job losses — which a minister said could be under 5,000 —
after it sought bankruptcy protection on Friday.

Hard-up consumers seen seeking solace in gadgets (Reuters)

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit opens a refrigerator at the Miele exhibition stand during his opening tour at the International Funkaustellung (IFA) consumer electronics fair in Berlin August 29, 2008. (Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)Reuters - Consumer electronic makers are bracing
themselves for slower growth in the second half of this year
and in 2009, but count on consumers turning to home
entertainment amid tougher economic times and tighter budgets.

Personal Income Off 0.7% As Spending Lags Inflation (Investor's Business Daily)

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

Investor’s Business Daily - Consumers put the brakes on spending while personal income plunged in July, the Commerce Department said Friday, as the effect of rebate checks faded and inflation sapped buying power.

Consumer spending flags, but confidence rises (Reuters)

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

A shopper walks past a store display in New York July 1, 2008. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)Reuters - Personal income tumbled unexpectedly
in July and inflation-adjusted spending shrank as government
economic stimulus waned, but consumer spirits rose this month,
a hint the economy may muddle through its woes.