Italy Looks to Get Older Workers to Hand Off to Young
The Wall Street Journal Europe
22 May 2013
aly’s statistics agency to become labor minister, is considering a host of measures. Among them are tweaks to laws to make it easier for companies to hire temporary employees and renew their contracts, and measures to fund the wage- supplement program…read more…
U.K. Inflation Cools on Lower Oil Price
BY JASON DOUGLAS AND ILONA BILLINGTON —Neelabh Chaturvedi contributed to this article.
The Wall Street Journal Europe
22 May 2013
LONDON—Inflation in the U.K. slowed in April as a fall in crude oil prices rippled through the global economy. But with prices still rising much faster than wages, there are fears that a continued squeeze on consumers’ spending power could hold back an…read more…
OECD Nations Rebound, Posting Growth of 0.4%
BY PAUL HANNON
The Wall Street Journal Europe
22 May 2013
Developed economies returned to growth in the first three months of the year, though the euro zone continued to lag behind the U. S. and Japan, according to figures released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on Tuesday. The…read more…
Tokyo Is Ready for More Yenweakness
BYMITSURU OBE — Kosaku Narioka and Alexander Martin contributed to this article.
The Wall Street Journal Europe
22 May 2013
TOKYO—Japanese policy makers are prepared for further yen weakening, government officials said, despite the recent acknowledgment by cabinet ministers that the excessive strength has largely been corrected. The officials said they aren’t concerned…read more…
Europe’s Recession Sparks Grass-Roots Political Push
BY ILAN BRAT AND CHRISTOPHER BJORK Torrelodones, Spain
The Wall Street Journal Europe
22 May 2013
The stench of raw sewage was Elena Biurrun’s political wake-up call. The stay-at-home mom became a civic gadfly after local authorities refused to fix a broken sewer pipe, and one cause led to another: She formed a group to defend a forest against…read more…
Mine-servicefirms Tested in Australia
BY RHIANNON HOYLE
The Wall Street Journal Europe
22 May 2013
SYDNEY—Service companies that rode the wave of investment in Australian resources are facing harder times, reporting earnings downgrades and preparing to move their focus overseas as a decadelong mining boom slows. Transfield Services Ltd. and Boart…read more…
Japanese Yields Rise After Weak Sale
BY ELEANORWARNOCK —Kosaku Narioka contributed to this article.
The Wall Street Journal Europe
22 May 2013
TOKYO—Yields on Japanese government bonds rose Tuesday, the latest sign investors are having trouble digesting the Bank of Japan’s most recent easing measures. The rise came a day before the central bank’s policy board wraps up a monthly meeting,…read more…
Coal Miners Are Haunted By Australian Port Assets
BY RHIANNON HOYLE AND DAVID WINNING
The Wall Street Journal Europe
22 May 2013
Coal miners in Australia are auctioning port assets worth tens of millions of dollars, an unthinkable prospect as recently as 18 months ago, when they were scrambling to secure berths. Australia exports more than 80% of its coal output, and miners…read more…
Fed Speeches Keep Stocks Moving Up
BY MICHELEMAATOUK AND SARA SJOLIN
The Wall Street Journal Europe
22 May 2013
European stocks reversed losses in late trading, ending slightly higher Tuesday after a Federal Reserve official spoke in favor of a flexible approach to the central bank’s bond- buying program. In the U. S., stocks carried on their winning ways as…read more…
A Case Against Japanese REITS
— Aaron Back
The Wall Street Journal Europe
22 May 2013
The effect of Japan’s huge monetary easing on asset prices is uneven. Shares of real- estate investment trusts have soared, but underlying property prices have barely budged. That should have REIT investors worried. In the first four months of 2013,…read more…
