Economy

New brand costs dent H&M's Q4 profits
Fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz AB is to press ahead with its global expansion plans with the opening of over 300 stores this year, even though it ...
Bus service grinds to halt in Naples: no fuel
Bus service in the southern Italian city of Naples has ground to a halt after the city transport company ran out of money for fuel. Valeria Peti, of ...
Sweden's Nordea overcomes loan losses in 2012
Banking group Nordea AB says it posted record profits in 2012 as a combination of cost-cutting measures and a larger customer base more than offset ...
LG Electronics sinks to loss after EU fine
LG Electronics Inc. reported its first quarterly loss in a year Wednesday after Europe slapped it with a massive fine for price fixing. Its net loss ...
Cancer drugs give Roche a 2012 profit boost
Growing demand for its cancer medicines and diagnostic tests used by clinical laboratories helped Swiss drug maker Roche Holding AG post a modest 2.
Asia stocks up on strong US earnings
Asian stock markets rose Wednesday after strong U.S. corporate earnings led investors to ignore sagging consumer confidence. Japan's Nikkei rose 1.
Philips loss widens in Q4; sheds division
Royal Philips Electronics NV Tuesday said it will sell the entertainment division which contains many of the consumer products for which it is best ...
Search is on for golden cookie stolen in Germany
Missing: One golden cookie, weighing around 44 pounds (20 kilograms). Suspect: The Cookie Monster? The rectangular gilded bronze sculpture was part ...
Study finds improvement in German consumer mood
A closely-watched survey shows German consumers are more optimistic, buoyed by the current calm in financial markets and expectations the economy will ...
Russia likely to contribute to Cyprus bailout
Russia is likely to contribute money to a rescue package that Cyprus is trying to finalize with eurozone partners, the cash-strapped country's finance ...
London theater sales hold up in Olympic year
London's theaters say they had a strong 2012 despite the Olympics' "dampening effect" on ticket sales. Figures released Tuesday show that almost 14 ...
Spanish store chain withdraws burgers
A Spanish supermarket chain has withdrawn its own-brand hamburgers after a consumer protection group found tiny traces of horsemeat in them.
Oil steady as US, China manufacturing improves
The price of oil was steady above $96 a barrel on Tuesday, supported by expanding manufacturing output in the world's two largest economies and ahead ...
Germany, Gates in $108M anti-hunger drive
The German government says it is collaborating with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and businesses to invest some €80 million ($108 million) in ...
IMF tells Romania to push on with reforms
The International Monetary Fund has called on the Romanian government to implement deeper structural reforms and to apply for more European Union ...
Poland's economic growth slowed to 2 pct. in 2012
Government statistics show that Poland's economic growth likely slowed to 2 percent in 2012, down from 4.3 percent the year before, underlying ...
Italian borrowing costs drop on 6-month auction
Italy raised €8.5 billion ($11.44 billion) in an auction of six-month bonds, as markets continue to shrug off any concern about political uncertainty ...
Trash piles at Madrid airport as cleaners strike
Empty bottles, cans and trash are piling up at Madrid's airport as cleaners enter the fifth day of a strike to protest proposed layoffs. The strike ...
Asia stocks rise as Wall Street flirts with highs
Asian stock markets posted modest gains Tuesday as the feel-good factor lingered from near-record highs on Wall Street and signs of an upswing in U.S.
IMF approves $18.4 million loan for Mali
The International Monetary Fund is giving war-torn Mali a vote of confidence with an emergency loan of $18.4 million. The fund's board approved the ...
Monte Paschi raised aid demand due to trade loss
Embattled bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena increased its request for government aid by €500 million ($672 million) in October after incoming managers ...
Iceland wins case over failed bank deposits
A European court on Monday cleared Iceland of wrongdoing over its refusal to repay depositors' money lost in the country's 2008 banking collapse.
2 guards killed in attack on Algerian gas pipeline
Gunmen attacked a gas pipeline in northern Algeria and killed two village guards before being driven off, a local security official said Monday.
French autoworkers disrupt Peugeot Citroen plant
A few hundred French striking autoworkers are disrupting production at a key Peugeot Citroen plant north of Paris, protesting layoffs linked to its ...
Finnair chief resigns to head Cargotec
Finnair CEO Mika Vehvilainen has announced he will step down on Feb. 28 to head the international cargo handling company Cargotec. The Finnish carrier ...