Economy : Page 894

Czech January industrial production growth improves as expected

March 18, 2016 Czech industrial production growth improved as expected at the start of the year, after easing sharply in the previous month, figures from the Czech Statistical Office showed.

Swiss National Bank says inflation to be 0.1%

March 18, 2016 The Swiss National Bank (SNB) is maintaining its expansionary monetary policy. The target range for the three-month Libor remains at between –1.25% and –0.25%.

U.S. jobless claims rise 7,000 to 265,000

March 17, 2016 The number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits in the second week of March rose by 7,000 to 265,000.

Services helps New Zealand economy, dairy declined

March 17, 2016 Strong expansion in the services sector helped to offset plunging dairy prices to boost New Zealand's economic growth at the end of last year, the government statistics agency said.

U.S. housing starts rise more than expected in February

March 17, 2016 U.S. housing starts rose a little more than expected in February, according to data released by the Commerce Department.

Latin American lack of tax culture addressed in ECLAC forum

March 17, 2016 Evasion is one of the main weaknesses of the tax systems in the Latin America and the Caribbean economies, accounting for 320 billion dollars in 2014.

U.S. industrial production drops 0.5%

March 17, 2016 U.S. industrial production slipped in February, but factory output edged higher, according to the latest data from the Federal Reserve.

Japan’s industrial production up 3.7% in January

March 17, 2016 Industrial production in Japan rose 3.7 percent in January from the previous month, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a revised report, unchanged from a preliminary reading.

Morocco’s trade deficit reduced for third year

March 17, 2016 Morocco’s trade deficit declined in 2015 for the third consecutive year. According to the Ministry of Finance, the deficit decreased 18.6% over 2014 and stood at MAD 152.4 billion ($15.5 billion).

Unemployment in Brazil reached 9% at the end of 2015

March 16, 2016 The unemployment rate closed last year’s Q4 in 9% throughout Brazil, the highest rate of the historical series that begun in 2012, but also showing stability over the 8.9% of the rate registered in Q3 2015.

U.S. retail sales fell less than expected in February

March 16, 2016 U.S. retail sales dipped 0.1 percent last month as automobile purchases fell and cheaper gasoline undercut receipts at service stations.

Economic activity in Brazil declined 0.61% in January

March 16, 2016 The Brazilian Central Bank’s Economic Activity Index (IBC-Br) presented a decline of 0.61% in January over the previous month.