Hiring plans for the second quarter of 2012 fell from the previous quarter, and optimism about the U.S. economy declined, according to the AICPA’s Business and Industry Economic Outlook Survey. Four of the 10 sectors represented in the report expect staffing levels to decrease over the next 12 months.
Industrial production updates for many advanced economies come out this week. The data covers output of the manufacturing and mining sectors and of electric and gas utilities in the US and Europe and includes indicators for how the economies are performing.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke may provide clues about the health of the US economy when he speaks before the Congressional Joint Economic Committee on June 7th.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) highlights the risk of an oil price shock as one of the two key threats to global economic recovery this year, alongside the risk of a euro-zone meltdown.
Consumers are a huge part of the US economy. And in the coming week, economic numbers may show how job security is influencing consumer confidence and the nation’s GDP growth, which appears to be slowing.
When panellists at the American Institute of CPAs’ spring Council meeting in Washington were asked how to fix the economy, business leaders and politicians talked about familiar themes: balancing the federal budget and avoiding deficit spending. They said complex regulations are crippling some businesses.
CFOs doing business with Bank of America’s commercial lending arm have become more optimistic about the US economy and their companies’ futures. But their optimism is limited by a host of concerns.
Manufacturers face operational and recruiting challenges that are leading to localised supply chains, investment in energy-efficient processes and new-worker training initiatives, according to research by the World Economic Forum.
European Union lawmakers are poised to negotiate details of a proposed law that would ban banks from paying bonuses stemming from profits tied to cheap European Central Bank loans as part of a broader overhaul of proposed banking rules. And in the US, a long-awaited decision is expected on the handling of private company accounting standards.
Africa is home to some of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Many of its countries have less corruption, are easier to do business with, and are more democratic than several fast-developing nations in Europe and Asia. But dated perceptions still keep many investors away, according to an Ernst & Young report.
More US manufacturers expect to hire more, profit more and invest more in the year ahead. Meanwhile, they’re less worried about barriers to growth such as taxes and new regulations. Also, while some manufacturers remain uncertain about the global economy, others are showing gains in sales abroad.
A trade deal between the US and Colombia – which is expected to boost US GDP by $2.5 billion – takes effect on Tuesday. As part of the deal, Colombia agreed to eliminate measures that prevented firms from hiring US professionals.
Midsize U.S. companies, which generate about 40% of U.S. GDP, have become less optimistic about the economy. This sentiment is reflected in their hiring and expansion plans and their plans to invest in technology.
China’s economy seems to have avoided a “hard landing,” but the slowing of the economic boom reveals problems that China must battle to build a modern, high-income society.
British economic indicators will take on new scrutiny in the weeks ahead, following recent news that the UK fell back into recession during the first three months of this year—the first double dip there since the 1970s.
A sense of guarded optimism about the global economy in the first quarter points to a growth phase rather than a widespread recovery, suggests a panel commenting on the CGMA Global Economic Index.
The US labour market has been warming up in recent months. Will the trend continue in April? Several jobs reports due out in the coming week will provide insight into the US employment situation.
The volume of corporate acquisitions involving emerging markets dropped in the last six months of 2011. The fall in activity reflects a global trend in the M&A arena. Africa emerged, though, as a more significant target market for acquisitions.
The Chinese economic boom is weakening, tensions remain high in the Middle East and inflationary pressures weigh on India, but as a group emerging economies are expected to grow. That growth is likely to change trade patterns and expand middle-class populations.
The Federal Open Market Committee, which makes key decisions about the nation’s money supply, meets to discuss interest rates. The federal funds rate has remained at historic lows since 2008. Will moderate improvement in the US economy encourage the Fed to bump up the benchmark rate? Or will it stick to a plan to keep the rate low until late 2014?
