French companies shrank their work forces by less than economists forecast in the fourth quarter in a bid to cut costs after the worst recession since World War II. Payrolls, excluding government employees, farm workers and the self-employed, fell 0.1 percent, the Economy and Labor Ministry said...

U.K. factory production unexpectedly fell in January for the first time in five months, a sign manufacturing is struggling to shake off the recession. Factory output dropped 0.9 percent from December, the Office for National Statistics said today in London. Economists predicted a 0.2 percent inc...

Switzerland's economic recovery gathered speed at the end of last year as growth broadened, reflecting a faster-than-expected rebound from the worst recession in more than three decades. Gross domestic product rose by 0.7 percent in the fourth quarter from the third quarter after seasonal adjustm...

The U.K. CIPS/Markit purchasing managers index for February was 56.6, unchanged from January which was a fifteen-year high. "The manufacturing sector seems firmly back on the road after this severe recession. It's particularly positive that the recovery is broad-based and being partly driven by new...

Britain emerged from recession at a faster pace than previously estimated in the fourth quarter, providing a boost for Prime Minister Gordon Brown as he prepares for a general election within weeks. Gross domestic product rose 0.3 percent from the third quarter, compared with a previous calculat...

U.K. consumer confidence rose to its highest level in four months in February after Britain exited its longest recession on record and Britons said they were more optimistic about the economy, GfK NOP said. An index of sentiment increased for a second consecutive month to minus 14 from minus 17 ...

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities rose in December for a seventh consecutive month, indicating the industry at the heart of the worst recession since the 1930s is stabilizing. The S&P/Case-Shiller home-price index increased 0.3 percent from the prior month on a seasonally adjusted basis, more than a...

U.K. Posts First January Budget Deficit Since at Least 1993 Share Business ExchangeTwitterFacebook| Email | Print | A A A By Scott Hamilton Feb. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Britain posted its first budget deficit for January since records began in 1993 as the longest recession on record shriveled the nat...

U.K. unemployment unexpectedly jumped in January to the highest level since Tony Blair led the ruling Labour Party to power almost 13 years ago as the recession destroyed work at businesses from carmakers to banks. Claims for jobless benefits rose by 23,500 from the previous month to 1.64 millio...

Almost three million people were not working as many hours as they would have liked to in the third quarter of 2009, a sharp jump from the 2.1m over the same period two years ago, according to figures published on Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The main driver of the jump i...