Durable goods orders ex-transportation rise in January
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Orders for long-lasting manufactured goods excluding transportation unexpectedly rose last month as did a gauge of business spending plans, but that will probably not change views that factory activity is slowing.
RBS seeks to regain trust after post-crisis losses hit $77 billion
LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Bank of Scotland sought to shake off its reputation as Britain’s pariah bank on Thursday with plans to cut more costs and reposition itself as a UK-focused retail and commercial lender.
Greece’s lenders accept lower capital ratio for bank health test: source
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece’s international lenders have agreed that a lower capital ratio can be used in a second stress test of the country’s major banks, bringing it in line with a European banking benchmark, a banker close to negotiations told Reuter…
Hilton revenue jumps as occupancy, room rates rise
(Reuters) – Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc, the world’s largest hotel operator, reported a 13 percent rise in quarterly revenue as increasing business and leisure travel pushed up occupancy and room rates.
U.S. attorney subpoenaed Mt Gox, other bitcoin businesses: source
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara has sent subpoenas to Mt. Gox, other bitcoin exchanges, and businesses that deal in bitcoin to seek information on how they handled recent cyber attacks, a source familiar with the probe said o…
Lowest number of Germans out of work in February since September 2012
BERLIN (Reuters) – German unemployment dropped in February to its lowest level in nearly 1-1/2 years, boding well for domestic demand, which the government hopes will help drive growth this year.
Spanish economy trundles on in fourth quarter
MADRID (Reuters) – Spain’s economy grew between October and December as domestic demand and investments improved, data showed, adding to signs that its recovery from recession is slowly gaining traction.
China’s official PMI seen hitting eight-month low
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s factory activity likely expanded only slightly in February, a Reuters poll showed, dropping to an eight-month low that would indicate a modest slowdown is continuing.
Euro zone lending contraction compounds ECB headache
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Lending to households and firms in the euro zone fell again in January and money supply growth remained subdued, adding to pressure on the European Central Bank to take action next week to support the economy.
Bank of Japan’s Sato sees flexibility on timing of QE exit
TOKYO (Reuters) – Bank of Japan board member Takehiro Sato said on Thursday the central bank can be flexible on the timing of an eventual exit from its monetary easing, a sign that simply reaching its 2 percent price stability goal will not trigger imm…
