Europe - Economic Data & News 01 (May 08 - Oct 08)

[kennynah]

Eurozone Industrial Production Continues to Decline
9/12/2008 5:09 AM ET

(RTTNews) - Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union released a report on industrial production for July, showing a 0.3% monthly drop compared to the 0.2% decline in the previous month. The decline was in-line with the expectations of economists. Annually, industrial output declined by 1.7% in the euro area.

Production of energy rose 0.2% from the previous month, while output of capital goods, intermediate, durable consumer goods and non-durable consumer goods declined in the month.

[kennynah]

maybe indeed will get cheaper italians goods...

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Italian Industrial Production Dips in July
9/12/2008 4:56 AM ET

(RTTNews) - Italy's industrial production declined by an unadjusted 0.6% in July from the year-ago period, according to a report released by the Istat. On a monthly basis, industrial output was down a seasonally adjusted 1.1%.

[HengHeng]

L.V still freaking expensive leh

[blid2def]

Your bear eat a lot of buns lia... still look so hungry. Hahaha...

[kennynah]

all of today's data will bolster USD further...maybe

**********

French Monthly CPI Inflation remains stable in August
9/12/2008 7:03 AM ET

(RTTNews) - Consumer prices in France in remained unchanged in August, compared to July, the INSEE said Friday. The increase was below analysts' expectations.

On a monthly basis, the consumer price index remained stable in August, while analysts' expected a 0.1% rise. On a seasonally adjusted basis, consumer prices were down 0.2% from the last month. The underlying inflation increased 0.2%.

Food prices fell 1.2%, while energy prices declined 3.2%. Most other categories showed a rise in price.

Prices of manufactured goods grew the fastest 1.1% over the month, while prices of manufactured goods excluding apparel and footwear, were up 0.4%. Prices of manufactured goods excluding energy rose 0.1%, and service prices increased 0.3%.

On an annual basis, consumer prices were up 3.2% in August, slower than the 3.3% rise anticipated by analysts. Consumer prices rose 0.4% in the same year-ago period. Underlying inflation increased 2% annually.

On an annual basis, the fastest rises in prices were in those of energy and food. While food prices grew 5.2%, energy prices climbed 15.3%. Prices of all other categories too showed an increase.

The Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices, HICP, fell 0.1% month-on-month in August, while the HICP rose 3.5% year-on-year.

[LenaHuat]

Europe has a big mess to clean up too :

In light of this new turbulence, even German Finance Minister Peter Steinbrück has been forced to evoke unusually clear images when he speaks. As he sees it, the very people who had prematurely spoken about there being a light at the end of the tunnel will now be forced to realize "that, in reality, it was the light of an oncoming train."

[blid2def]

Singapore context:

TUA LOLLI LAI LOH!!!!

[LenaHuat]

Eurostar tunnel's context : Also lori

[millionairemind]

Singapore context:

TUA LOLLI LAI LOH!!!!

This one more appropriate!!!

[ishak]

Barclays in US$1.4b share issue to boost capital
Reuters, 18 Sep 2008

British bank Barclays is raising 750 million pounds (US$1.4 billion) through a share placing, on top of a 600 million pound injection from existing investors as part of its purchase of Lehman assets.

The combined 1.35 billion pound fundraising will top up its capital which had been stretched by the credit crunch and is below most rivals. Barclays had already raised 4.5 billion pounds in July, which analysts estimated would take its core tier 1 equity ratio to near 5.7 per cent.

Barclays said on Thursday the capital raised through the placing will give it additional resources to realise the full potential of its purchase of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc's US broker-dealer business 'to create significant value for Barclays shareholders'.

It also reflects a positive reaction among analysts and investors to that deal, announced on Tuesday, analysts said.

By 1022 GMT Barclays shares were up 4.7 per cent at 332.75 pence.

The placing will be conducted via an accelerated bookbuild by Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Cazenove.

Better to start doing something