Euro-zone retail sales slide by record 4.2 percent in March as recession deepens

October 14th, 2009 Retail sales fall 1.5 percent in SeptemberWASHINGTON — Retail sales declined in September by the largest amount this year as car sales plummeted following the end of the government's popular Cash for Clunkers program. The Commerce Department says retail sales dropped 1.5 percent last month.

September 15th, 2009 NEW YORK - US stocks climbed to new highs for 2009 as retail sales gained by the most in three years and Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke said the country's recession was "very likely" at an end. Bernanke said there was general agreement among economists that the US would return to growth in the third quarter of this year and continue to pick up in 2010.

August 31st, 2009 Euro zone prices fall again in AugustBRUSSELS — Euro zone prices fell more slowly in August from a year ago, a sign that the worst of the economic downturn may be over, the EU statistics agency Eurostat said Monday. Inflation in the 16 countries that use the euro stayed negative for the third consecutive month in August as prices shrank 0.2 percent, far less than an 0.7 percent drop in July.

August 24th, 2009 Euro zone industrial orders rise in JuneLONDON — Industrial orders in the 16-nation euro zone rose 3.1 percent in June from the quarter before, official data showed Monday, suggesting the manufacturing sector could be emerging from recession. The European statistics agency Eurostat said new orders — a key gauge of industry's future growth — rose in both France and Germany, which emerged from recession in the second quarter, as well as Ireland, which has been among the hardest-hit by the global economic crisis.

August 13th, 2009 Euro area economy contracted only 0.1 pct in Q2LONDON — The recession in the 16 countries that use the euro eased substantially between April and June after unexpected growth in Germany and France, the euro zone's two largest economies, official figures showed Thursday. The European Union's statistics office Eurostat revealed that the euro zone's gross domestic product fell by only 0.1 percent in the second quarter from the previous three month period.

August 5th, 2009 Euro retail sales fall 0.2 pct in JuneBRUSSELS — The European Union says retail sales in the 16 nations that use the euro fell 0.2 percent in June from a month earlier, showing that consumers are wary of spending as unemployment hits a 10-year high. Shoppers cut back spending both on daily essentials such as food, drink and tobacco and on non-food items such as clothing, electronics and medicines.

July 15th, 2009 Eurostar 1H sales down 7 percentLONDON — Cross-channel train operator Eurostar Group Ltd. on Wednesday said sales slumped 7 percent in the first half of the year as the recession hit business travel particularly hard.

July 15th, 2009 NEW YORK - US stocks edged up Tuesday after Goldman Sachs posted surprising quarterly earnings and retail earnings rose by the most since January. Goldman Sachs overwhelmed Wall Street expectations, earning $2.7 billion in the second quarter of the year despite the ongoing economic crisis, its best performance since a record year in 2007.

July 14th, 2009 Euro industry output down 17 pct in MayBRUSSELS — Industrial output in the 16 nations that use the euro sank 17 percent in May from a year earlier, the EU statistics agency said Tuesday, a somewhat milder drop than in the previous two months. Demand for European goods at home and abroad has slumped dramatically during the downturn.

July 3rd, 2009 Euro zone retail sales down 0.4 percent in MayLONDON — Retail sales fell in May in the 16 countries that use the euro, in a further sign that consumers aren't optimistic about their future in the midst of a deep and widespread recession. Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, says retail sales in the euro zone fell by 0.4 percent from the previous month.

June 16th, 2009 European car sales sink 4.9 pct in MayBRUSSELS — European car sales braked at a slower pace in May, falling 4.9 percent from a year ago as state handouts to car buyers eased a yearlong sales slump, an industry group said Tuesday. Sales of new cars fell for the thirteenth month in a row from the previous year, according to carmakers' association ACEA, with only two major manufacturers — Volkswagen AG and Fiat SpA — selling more than last year.

June 12th, 2009 Euro zone industrial output slumps in AprilLONDON — Industrial production in the 16 countries that use the euro slumped in April, official figures showed Friday, stoking fears that the euro zone remains in the grip of recession despite signs elsewhere that a recovery of sorts may be underway. The European Union's statistics office Eurostat said a 1.9 percent drop in April — the eighth consecutive monthly fall — pushed the annual rate of decline down to a record 21.6 percent.

May 13th, 2009 Dollar gains on economic reports, bad news abroadNEW YORK — The dollar reversed course Wednesday, gaining broadly as U.S. retail sales took a turn for the worse and news from abroad highlighted the recession's impact in Europe.

May 13th, 2009 Euro zone industrial output shrinks 2 pct in MarchLONDON — The 16 countries that use the euro currency saw industrial output shrink by 2 percent in March from the previous month, pushing the annual rate of decline to a new record, the EU's statistics office said Wednesday. The drop was far bigger than expected.

April 30th, 2009 Euro jobless rate surges, inflation stableBRUSSELS — The jobless rate in the 16 nations that use the euro surged to 8.9 percent in March, the highest level in nearly five years, the EU statistics office said Thursday. Unemployment is rising steeply despite recently higher business and consumer optimism about their recession-hit economy.