On 29 April, Japan’s yen fell to its lowest value since at least 1990, trading below ¥160 to the dollar, after the country’s central bank left its key interest rates untouched at zero and 0.10 percent. The yen has lost about a third of its value in the past three years.
Copper’s future price briefly topped $10,000 last week for the first time in two years amid fears that demand will once again overcome supplies as manufacturers of clean energy technologies respond to a growing market, Bloomberg reported.
In April, the Eurozone’s flash purchasing managers index (PMI) for the overall economy rose to 51.4 from 50.3 in March, the strongest rating in 11 months. Analysts in a Reuters poll had predicted a reading of 50.8.
In recent times, the economic landscape has presented an array of challenges that have profoundly affected the business community.
It’s global. The numbers are there for all to see. From developed to underdeveloped nations, economies are slowing down and/or contracting.
Global package handler UPS posted revenue 5.3 percent lower in this year’s first quarter than the same period a year earlier.
PepsiCo reported first-quarter sales revenue 2.3 percent above those a year earlier to $18.25 billion, beating analysts’ forecasts, even though sales volume dropped 2 percent during the period.
After hospitals merge, their prices for patient care rise and patients indirectly are handed a large share of the higher bill, according to a study published 24 April by the American Economic Review.
The rate of hiring in accounting, finance, law, media, professional services, and technology is only about a third of that for the labor market as a whole, Bloomberg reported.
The U.S. economy grew by 1.6 percent in this year’s first quarter, adjusted for inflation, the commerce department reported.