EU set to make its mind up over trade talks with Japan

(Reuters) - Britain is trying to convince France and Italy to agree to negotiations with Japan to create a free-trade area with the European Union despite concerns that a deal would hurt the continent's weaker carmakers.

Greece hails rebirth of a nation as EU and IMF agree to release loans

After months of drama in the eurozone and its own solvency hanging by a thread, Greece reacted with euphoria on Tuesday at the news that international creditors had decided to not only revitalise its rescue programme, releasing long-overdue aid, but cut €40bn (£32bn) from its debt mountain.

Is Japan really on the brink of a sudden downward spiral?

First Britain was compared to Greece – sunk by debt. Then when the worst of the financial crisis passed and a battered exchequer was still solvent, Britain was likened to another capitalist basket case - Japan.

Euro Chiefs Claim Greek Progress, Seek to Persuade ECB

Euro-area finance ministers will push the International Monetary Fund and central bankers to endorse new plans to save Greece from the fiscal abyss, seeking to overcome the latest impasse in the debt crisis and restart aid payments to Athens.

UK may face deeper government spending cuts -IFS

LONDON (Reuters) -Chancellor George Osborne may have to announce more spending cuts and tear up one of his key austerity goals next month, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said on Monday, warning government borrowing was likely to rise this year.

Canada's third quarter GDP growth seen falling sharply

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's economy likely expanded at a disappointing annualized rate of 0.9 percent in the third quarter, hurt by weaker demand for the country's exports and the drag of a rapidly cooling housing market.

Factories post rebound, consumer sentiment shaky

(Reuters) - Manufacturing grew in November at its quickest pace in five months, with a rise in domestic demand hinting that factories could provide a boost to economic growth in the fourth quarter.

China must speed up financial reform to sustain GDP growth: Moody's

BEIJING (Reuters) - China must accelerate the pace of financial reform in coming months to sustain economic growth, ratings agency Moody's Investor Services said, forecasting the world's No. 2 economy will grow 7.5 percent each year from 2012 to 2014.

Spain may miss 2012 budget deficit goal: Bank of Spain

MADRID: The Bank of Spain warned on Wednesday that the recession-hit country could miss its budget deficit target for 2012 given the 'very unfavourable' economic context, one year after it overshot its 2011 target.

Bernanke: 'Stakes are high' on fiscal cliff

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Tuesday urged lawmakers to avoid the fiscal cliff by acting as soon as possible.

Putin, Merkel try to ease frosty Germany-Russia ties

(Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed German criticism of his human rights record on Friday as Chancellor Angela Merkel began a visit to Moscow with a chill descending on relations between the two big European powers.

Geithner Says Budget Deal Is ‘Within Our Grasp’

Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said he’s confident an agreement on averting the fiscal cliff can be concluded within weeks after White House talks between President Barack Obama and congressional leaders.

Bundesbank: Greece will need haircut, but later

BERLIN (AP) — Greece's creditors will eventually have to write down the value of the country's debt further, but only after Athens has done the hard work of getting its budget into shape and reforming its economy, Germany's top central banker said Friday.

French PM: committed to cutting deficit

BERLIN (AP) — France's prime minister assured a German audience on Thursday that his country is committed to getting its debt under control, amid concerns that the second-largest economy in the 17-country group that uses the euro is weakening.

Barack Obama: US wealthiest must pay more tax

US President Obama has reiterated his call for high earners in the US to pay more in taxes, in his first news conference since winning re-election.

Greece votes on 2013 budget to unlock aid

ATHENS: Greece is expected to approve a 2013 budget on Sunday that includes unpopular spending cuts and tax hikes so it can receive an international aid payment and avoid insolvency.

Hungary PM, lenders at odds about prospects of agreement

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Saturday struck an optimistic tone that a financing deal with foreign lenders was within reach, at odds with signals from his negotiating partners that the year-old talks were at a stalemate.

Two million jobless set to lose unemployment benefits

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- More than 2 million jobless Americans will lose their federal unemployment insurance during the holidays if Congress doesn't extend the deadline to file for extended benefits.

German risks rift with France over economic healthcheck demands

Germany's finance minister has reportedly asked a panel of top advisers to examine France's economic problems amid concerns that weaknesses could spread to the rest of Europe.

Bank holds interest rate at record low for 44th month

The Bank of England has kept its base rate at a record low of 0.5pc for the 44th consecutive month and decided against extending its quantitative easing programme.

Merkel calls for eurozone countries to surrender key tax-and-spend powers

Angela Merkel has called for the surrender of key national powers over tax-and-spend policies to Brussels by the 17 countries in the eurozone within three years in order to rescue and shore up the embattled single currency.

G20 acknowledges slippage on swaps reform

(Reuters) - International groups tasked with safeguarding the world banking system conceded they would miss a deadline for new rules aimed at limiting risk and boosting transparency in the $648 trillion over-the-counter swaps market.

G20 seeks more wiggle room on austerity pledges

(Reuters) - The world's leading economies will give themselves more wiggle room to meet targets for cutting budget deficits rather than risk aggravating a slowdown in many countries, chief among them the United States.

Australia’s Swan Says G-20 Sees Global Recovery as ‘Fragile’

Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan said most of his Group of 20 counterparts see the global recovery as “fragile” and urged Europe to press on with closer financial integration and the U.S. to cut its budget deficit.

Canadian dollar leaps to 1-week high as U.S. jobs data impresses

TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar jumped to a more than one-week high against its U.S. counterpart on Friday and outperformed all other major currencies after data showed U.S. employers stepped up hiring in October.

Jobs Report Shows Persistent Economic Growth

The economy may have some more underlying strength than earlier believed, according to the final job market report released before Tuesday’s presidential election.

US consumer confidence at highest since February 2008

WASHINGTON: Americans' confidence in the economy surged last month to the highest level in nearly five years, as many were encouraged by an improving job market.

G20 told trade, FDI vital to fight global slowdown

GENEVA (Reuters) - The world's leading economies must revitalise both global trade and investment in developing countries to counter a new slowdown in economic growth, three key international organisations said on Wednesday.