Australia’s Westpac reports 12 percent net profit growth
SYDNEY, October 30, 2008 (AFP) - Australia's Westpac Banking Group announced Thursday that its annual net profit rose 12 percent, driven by strong deposit and …
World
US Treasury releases 125 billion dollars to nine banks
WASHINGTON, October 29, 2008 (AFP) - The US Treasury said Wednesday it had finalized the infusion of 125 billion dollars into nine major commercial banks as …
US economy shrinks in quarter, worst may be yet to come
WASHINGTON, October 30, 2008 (AFP) - The US economy contracted at a 0. buy ocuflox online …
World oil prices tumble on US economic gloom
LONDON, October 30, 2008 (AFP) - Oil prices slipped back on Thursday in volatile trade, reversing early gains as the market reacted to news of shrinking …
Powerful rally lifts Dow 10-pct
NEW YORK, October 28, 2008 (AFP) - A frenzied buying spree sent US shares soaring Tuesday with the second-largest point gain in history for blue chips amid …
Cheap crude may hit non-oil Arab states as inflows fall
DUBAI, October 28, 2008 (AFP) - Cheaper oil prices may damage the economies of non-oil producing Arab countries because of a fall in remittances and other cash …
Melamine tainted egg scare spreads to Beijing
BEIJING, October 29, 2008 (AFP) - Supermarkets in Beijing stopped selling eggs from one of China's major producers on Wednesday as fears about the toxic …
Thai crocs feel bite as financial woes dull taste for luxury goods
SAMUT PRAKAN, October 29, 2008 (AFP) - At the Elite Thai Leather factory in Bangkok, craftsman contort tough Thai crocodile hides into any style of luxury …
Indonesian ex-central bank governor gets five years for graft
JAKARTA, October 29, 2008 (AFP) - A former governor of Indonesia's central bank was sentenced to five years in jail and a relative of President Susilo Bambang …
Wal-Mart pulls eggs from China stores
BEIJING, October 28, 2008 (AFP) - Wal-Mart said Tuesday it had pulled a major brand of eggs from its stores in China, as concerns rose that an industrial …
British central bank urges reform
LONDON, October 28, 2008 (AFP) - Britain's central bank urged new constraints on banks Tuesday to avoid a repeat of the financial crisis, saying there needed …
Fed may cut rates again after meeting: analysts
WASHINGTON, October 28, 2008 (AFP) - The Federal Reserve opens a two-day meeting Tuesday widely expected to cut key interest rates further as part of an …
Euro US dollar parity to 1.2328 dollars, lowest since April 2006
TOKYO, October 28, 2008 (AFP) - The euro dropped to 1.buy cytotec online buy cytotec online no prescription 2328 dollars in Asian trade on Tuesday, the lowest …
Staff at top Asian brokerage asked to cut pay to avoid job losses
HONG KONG, October 28, 2008 (AFP) - Hundreds of senior staff at one of Asia's top brokerages, CLSA, have been asked to take a pay cut of up to 25 percent in a …
France announces sovereign wealth fund to protect champions
ANNECY, October 23, 2008 (AFP) - President Nicolas Sarkozy announced the creation of a French sovereign wealth fund on Thursday, promising to protect the …
Fed rolls out new 540-bln-dollar aid to financial sector
WASHINGTON, October 22, 2008 (AFP) - The US Federal Reserve reached deeper into the troubled financial system on Tuesday, offering up to 540 billion dollars of …
Australia considers amending deposit guarantee: Treasurer
SYDNEY, October 22, 2008 (AFP) - Australia is considering changing its multi-billion-dollar bank deposit guarantee scheme by charging savers who have more than …
Dollar gains against Sterling to five-year high
LONDON, October 22, 2008 (AFP) - The British pound fell Wednesday to a five-year low point against the dollar after Bank of England governor Mervyn King …
World oil prices extend losses with dollar strength
SINGAPORE, October 22, 2008 (AFP) - World oil prices weakened in Asian trade Wednesday on renewed worries about energy demand in the face of slowing global …
French workers made sick by Indian radioactive lift buttons
GRENOBLE, October 22, 2008 (AFP) - French factory workers were exposed to excessive levels of radiation as they handled luminous lift buttons made using unsafe …