Oil prices fall as unemployment rate hits 26-year high, sowing doubt about economy’s rebound

September 29th, 2009 NEW YORK - US stocks fell Tuesday amid a drop in consumer confidence and concerns about unemployment, even as data showed housing prices soared in July by the most in four years. Consumer confidence dropped fell to 53.1 points from a revised 54.5 in August, amid rising unemployment, the New York-based Conference Board said Tuesday.

September 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Unemployment rate in California, a favourite stomping ground for Indian IT professionals, hit its highest point in nearly 70 years amid early signs of economic recovery in the United States. While job losses continue to fall, the state's new unemployment rate of 12.2 percent, according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics, is far above the national average of 9.7 percent and places California, Americas's most-populous state, fourth behind Michigan, Nevada and Rhode Island.

September 4th, 2009 Energy prices slide as US sheds jobsOil prices fell on Friday after the government reported that the unemployment rate moved to a 26-year high, raising fresh concerns that energy demand will remain weak even if the economy is heading out of the recession. Benchmark crude for October delivery fell 15 cents to $67.81 a barrel in on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

September 1st, 2009 BERLIN - Unemployment in the 16-member eurozone hit a 10-year high in July, data released Tuesday showed. The European Union's statistics office Eurostat said that another 167,000 people were unemployed in the eurozone during July, pushing the jobless rate up to 9.5 percent from 9.4 percent June.

August 22nd, 2009 Nevada unemployment climbs to record 12.5 percentLAS VEGAS — Nevada's unemployment rate hit a record in July, climbing to 12.5 percent statewide and 13.1 percent in Las Vegas, according to a state report issued Friday. That puts the Silver State 3.1 percentage points above the national unemployment rate of 9.4 percent, according to figures from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

August 14th, 2009 Euro area prices fell 0.7 pct in year to JulyLONDON — Prices in the 16 countries that use the euro fell on an annual basis for the second straight month in July and by more than previously anticipated, official figures showed Friday. The European Union's statistics office Eurostat said consumer prices in the euro zone fell by 0.7 percent in July from the previous year, 0.1 percentage point more than it had previously estimated and ahead of June's 0.1 percent fall.

July 31st, 2009 Euro zone joblessness at 10-year high, prices slipBRUSSELS — The European Central Bank will have to be on the lookout that a dangerous spiral of falling prices and output does not establish itself in the 16 countries that use the euro after figures Friday showed consumer prices slipping more than expected and unemployment spiking to a ten-year high. Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, revealed that consumer prices in the euro zone fell for the second month running in July.

July 31st, 2009 Japan jobless rate climbs to 6-year high in JuneTOKYO — Japan's unemployment rate rose to a six-year high and prices fell at a record pace in June, the government said Friday. The jobless rate in the world's second-biggest economy worsened to 5.4 percent from 5.2 percent in May, suggesting that an emerging recovery for companies has yet to filter down to workers and families.

July 17th, 2009 Unemployment tops 10 percent in 16 states in JuneWASHINGTON — The U.S. Labor Department says unemployment topped 10 percent in 16 states last month.

July 17th, 2009 Unemployment tops 10 percent in 15 states in JuneWASHINGTON — Unemployment topped 10 percent in 15 states and the District of Columbia last month, according to federal data released Friday. The rate in Michigan surpassed 15 percent, the first time any state hit that mark since 1984.

July 10th, 2009 Canada's unemployment rate rises to 11-year highTORONTO — Canada lost 7,400 jobs in June as the unemployment rate climbed to its highest level in 11 years. Statistics Canada announced Friday that the unemployment rate rose to 8.6 percent last month from 8.4 percent in May.

July 1st, 2009 Irish unemployment hits 13-year high of 11.9 pctDUBLIN — Ireland's unemployment rate hit a 13-year high of 11.9 percent in June as a deepening recession pushed the welfare lines to record lengths, the Central Statistics Office reported Wednesday. The report said the number of people claiming jobless benefits has nearly doubled over the past year to 418,592, an unprecedented high dating back to the foundation of the Irish state in 1922.

June 5th, 2009 Irish unemployment hits 13-year high of 11.8 pctDUBLIN — Ireland's unemployment rate hit a 13-year high of 11.8 percent in May as a deepening recession pushed the welfare lines to record lengths, the Central Statistics Office reported Friday. The report said the number of people claiming jobless benefits has nearly doubled over the past year to 397,000, an unprecedented high dating back to the foundation of the Irish state in 1922.

April 22nd, 2009 Taiwan's jobless rate hits record high of 5.8 pctTAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan's jobless rate hit a record high of 5.8 percent in March, rising for the eleventh straight month amid an economic slump, the government said Wednesday. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said in a statement the number of unemployed workers rose to 630,000 from 624,000 in February with the increase coming from company closures and layoffs.

April 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The rate of inflation in India for the week ended March 28 fell to historic low of 0.26 percent, from 0.31 percent a week earlier, government data showed on Thursday. The inflation rate, which has been recorded as the lowest ever, in more than three decades, has increased the expectation of rate cuts by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).