France, one of Europe’s largest economies, reported disappointing employment figures this week, calling into question the sustainability of the recovery in one of Europe’s few stable markets. The French job market sharply worsened, as the unemployment rate spiked to 9.9% (9.6% without French overseas dependencies included), the worst level since 1999. In order to rectify the situation, the government has announced several plans in order to spur industrial growth, specifically in green technology and manufacturing industries, in order to keep jobs in the country. France has now lost more than 500,000 manufacturing jobs over the past decade. [click to continue…]
Thanks to strong economic recoveries in Germany and France, the 16-country euro zone has now officially exited its worst recession in a half century. According to data released on Friday, the euro zone grew by 0.4% in the third quarter, compared with a 0.2% decline in the second quarter. Although the news strengthened hopes of a sustained global recovery, many European economies continue to contract, facing strong headwinds on their recovery track. [click to continue…]
Over the last year, swine flu has been the news story that just won’t die. After an early initial scare, H1N1 faded into the background of the minds of many for several months, before returning in full force as flu season approached. Of course, the threat posed by the disease never really diminished, and health [...]
Over the past several months, concerns over the fallout from the massive stimulus plans, rising unemployment, and continued weakness in corporate earnings have left many investors rethinking their allocations to U.S. equities. Once considered an essential element of any portfolio, American stocks have fallen out of favor with some investors who have shifted assets towards [...]
