South African stocks gain on Zuma’s departure
Investors are pinning hopes on successor Cyril Ramaphosa proving to be a better steward of the economy.
Yen boosted by production data, intervention comments
Japanese industrial production rose by more than expected in December, data on Thursday showed, providing a further boost to the yen, which has been among the strongest major currencies amid recent market turbulence
Britain must lift its productivity, says IMF
The Washington-based organisation says the UK also needs to enhance its international competitiveness to offset the shock of Brexit.
Portugal’s growth is best since 2000
The economic revival accelerated last year, as the country continued to recover from the bailout programme that it exited in 2014.
Bank of England survey predicts better times for UK workers
Private sector employers expect average pay settlements of 3.1% this year, against 2.6% in 2017.
Eurozone growth revised higher in fourth-quarter
Eurozone fourth-quarter growth was revised higher for its second estimate, published on Wednesday, in an across-the-board set of gains for countries within the single-currency bloc
Italy’s Q4 growth less than forecast at 0.3%
Preliminary data shows the final quarter of 2017 falling short of expectations, but the country still had its best year since 2010.
German growth remains robust in fourth quarter
The German economy expanded further in the fourth quarter of 2017 according to the latest data from the country's official statistics office on Wednesday
Strikes in US hit second-lowest level
The US saw its second-lowest level of major strikes ever in 2017, according to US Bureau of Labor figures.
ONS to move labour market figures to Tuesdays
Publication of UK labour market statistics is to move to Tuesdays so politicians have a change to study the details
City watchdog criticised for ‘completely’ losing control of RBS report
The City watchdog has been criticised for “completely” losing control of a report into RBS’s mistreatment of small businesses, with MPs now likely to use special powers to publish it in full next week.
Average house price increased by £12,000 in the year to December, says index
House prices ended last year £12,000 higher on average than they had been 12 months earlier, according to official figures.
UK consumer inflation remains at 3% in January
UK consumer price inflation held at 3% in January as underlying prices rose more strongly than expected, scuppering forecasts for a drop back towards the Bank of England's 2% target rate and pressuring for a more aggressive interest rate response
Dollar gains unwind as stability returns to stock markets
The dollar fell across the board on foreign exchanges on Tuesday as investors took profits on gains for the greenback during the recent equity market correction
Citigroup shrugs off Brexit with London innovation centre
The US banking group will initially hire up to 60 technologists, in one of the biggest boosts for the UK financial services sector since the EU referendum.