Economy

Economy

• Interest rates down again in Spanish auction

  Spain's slow progress on its road to a more balanced economy continued Thursday as it successfully raised 4.7 billion euros ($6.2 billion) in a sale ... 

• Oil up to near $88, rebounding on US supply drop

  The price of oil rose to near $88 a barrel Thursday as an unexpected drop in U.S. stockpiles of crude triggered a modest recovery from a sharp ... 

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  Portugal launches another round of spending cuts

  Portugal's government is pushing ahead with deeply unpopular austerity policies, announcing plans Thursday to save 800 million euros ($1 billion) this ... 

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  German economy seen bouncing back after Q4 dip

  Germany's economy is bouncing back from a downturn at the end of last year, according to the country's leading economic research institutes. In their ... 

• UK retail sales drop in chilly weather

  Official figures show that retail sales in Britain dropped sharply in March, as chilly weather kept shoppers at home. The Office of National ... 

• Nestle 'on track' despite fragile global economy

  Swiss food and drinks giant Nestle SA notched a gain of 2.3 percent in first-quarter sales and confirmed Thursday it was on track for another year of ... 

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  Legendary horses latest victim of Spain's bust

  The southern Spanish region of Andalusia, famed for flamenco and Moorish castles, is also home to a legendary breed of horses that carried ... 

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  European car sales plummet, even in solid Germany

  Europe's auto market is in freefall. Once the motor for Europe's economy, the car industry has fallen victim to the region's widening recession and ... 

• Oil falls to near $87 a barrel on growth concerns

  The price of crude oil dropped to near $87 a barrel Wednesday amid concerns over the outlook for global economic growth. By early afternoon in Europe, ... 

• France follows IMF in slashing growth forecasts

  The French government has finally bowed to reality, lowering its official economic growth projections and acknowledging that its deficit won't fall ... 

• Bailed-out Portugal pays more to borrow $2.3 BN

  Portugal has raised 1.75 billion euros in a debt auction that saw its longer-term interest rate rise in a fresh bout of investor jitters about the ... 

• Spain plays down IMF negative forecast

  Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has brushed off dismal economic predictions from the International Monetary Fund that the country's economy will ... 

• Germany predicting significantly reduced debt

  Germany's Finance Ministry says its long-term budget plan foresees the country's overall debt burden shrinking from the current 80.5 percent of its ... 

• Unemployment increases in Britain

  Britain's economic outlook has grown bleaker, with new figures showing unemployment edging up to 7.9 percent — the worst rate for almost a year. 

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  Asian stocks rebound on the heels of US rally

  Asian stock markets rose Wednesday, boosted by a strong U.S. housing report and better-than-expected corporate earnings that added further evidence ... 

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  Chavez heir charges US is behind unrest over vote

  President-elect Nicolas Maduro and his opposition rival traded accusations Tuesday over blame for post-election violence that the government said had ... 

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  Official: Cyprus lawmakers to vote on bailout deal

  Cyprus' parliament must vote on the 23 billion euro ($30 billion) bailout deal the country has agreed upon with international creditors, the Cypriot ... 

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  Greece sticks with austerity, seeks debt relief

  Greece promised Tuesday to stick with tough austerity measures, holding out hope for a debt relief deal with emergency creditors, but the country's ... 

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  FIFA: Agents increase cut of transfer deals

  Football agents got a lot richer last year. Agents took a bigger cut from international player transfers in 2012, even as trading in the ... 

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  ECB's Draghi urges speedy banking union

  European Central Bank President Mario Draghi urged the 17 countries that use the euro to move swiftly toward completing a full banking union to ... 

• Rights group sues UK over exports of spy tech

  A human rights group is suing the British government over the export of sophisticated surveillance technology that has been used to spy on dissidents ... 

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  Correction: Afghanistan-Opium story

  In an April 15 story about a U.N. report on opium production in Afghanistan, The Associated Press miscalculated the price per pound for opium. 

• EU lawmakers vote for banker bonus cap

  The European Parliament on Tuesday voted in favor of reforms to strengthen the bloc's financial sector, including a new law to cap bankers' bonuses. 

• Oil down slightly after sharp fall on weak demand

  The price of oil fell as far as $86 a barrel on Tuesday as shaky economic recoveries in China and the U.S. raised the prospect of weaker demand. 

• Interest rates down as Spain sells $6.63 billion

  Spain continues to benefit from increasing investor confidence that it will be able to handle its debt as the government sold 5.07 billion euros ($6.