Unemployment in Australia slipped in April to 5.4 percent, despite expectations of a rise

October 7th, 2009 Australian jobless rate posts surprising dropCANBERRA, Australia — Australia's unemployment rate surprisingly dropped to 5.7 percent in September, the government said Thursday, news that caused the Australian dollar to surge to a 14-month high. Economists had forecast a rise to 6 percent, but the Australian Bureau of Statistics said 40,600 new jobs were created last month.

August 21st, 2009 Summary Box: 17 states see lower jobless ratesWHAT HAPPENED: Seventeen states saw their unemployment rates decline in July, while 26 reported increases. Though joblessness is still widespread, that's an improvement from June, when only five saw a drop.

July 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US Federal Reserve said the US economy will climb faster than expected out of its deep recession, but also warned Wednesday that unemployment could top 10 percent before the end of this year. In its first economic forecast since April, the Fed said it expected the world's largest economy to recover from its 19-month-long recession - albeit slowly - in the second half of 2009.

June 23rd, 2009 OECD warns unemployment will rise in 2010PARIS — Unemployment in the 30 most developed market democracies of the world will continue to rise next year to reach almost 10 percent by the end of 2010, the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Tuesday. More than 57 million people will be unemployed in the 30 countries making up the OECD at the end of 2010, up from 37.2 million at the end of 2008, the international body said in a report.

June 16th, 2009 Wholesale inflation up less than expected in MayWASHINGTON — Wholesale prices rose less than expected in May as a drop in food costs helped keep overall prices down. The Labor Department said Tuesday that the Producer Price Index increased by a seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent from April.

June 11th, 2009 Australian jobless rate at 7-year high 5.7 percentCANBERRA, Australia — Australia's unemployment rate rose to a seven-year high of 5.7 percent in May, government figures showed Thursday, reflecting job cuts at companies amid the slump. "We've always said we were not immune from the global recession," said Employment Minister Julia Gillard, which said the increase was in line with market expectations.

June 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Thirteen American cities saw their unemployment rates topping 15 percent in April with nine of the highest in California alone. In another 93, joblessness climbed above 10 percent, according to a new government report.

May 14th, 2009 Stock market up modestly after poor jobs reportNEW YORK — Hard-hit retail stocks drew investors into the market Thursday after some profit reports weren't as bad as feared. But the buying was subdued after a worse-than-expected weekly unemployment report curbed investors' appetite for stocks.

May 8th, 2009 Canada adds jobs in AprilOTTAWA — Canada unexpectedly gained 35,900 jobs in April as the unemployment rate remained at a seven-year high of 8 percent. Statistics Canada says Friday all of the jobs gains were in the self-employed category, which is normally a sign of labor market weakness.

May 8th, 2009 Wal-Mart Stores says April same-store sales riseBENTONVILLE, Ark. — Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, said Thursday that sales of Easter merchandise and higher traffic helped April same-store sales rise 5 percent, ahead of expectations.

May 8th, 2009 Target same-store sales edge up in AprilMINNEAPOLIS — Target says same-store sales edged up 0.3 percent in April and it predicted first-quarter results will likely beat expectations. Analysts had expected same-store sales at the discount retailer to rise 0.4 percent.

May 8th, 2009 Layoffs slow to 539K in April; jobless rate risesWASHINGTON — The pace of layoffs slowed in April, with employers cutting 539,000 jobs, the fewest in six months. But the unemployment rate climbed to 8.9 percent as many businesses remained wary of hiring given all the economic and financial uncertainties.

April 28th, 2009 National Australia Bank profit drops 0.9 percentSYDNEY — National Australia Bank Ltd., the country's largest by assets, said Tuesday its first-half net profit fell 0.9 percent to 2.7 billion Australian dollars ($1.9 billion) as bad debts more than doubled amid an economic slump. Bad and doubtful debts in the six months ended March 31 rose to AU$1.8 billion, from AU$700 million a year earlier, the Melbourne-based bank said in a statement.

April 27th, 2009 German consumer confidence stableBERLIN — German consumer confidence remains steady, though lackluster, as low inflation and energy prices combine with tentative hopes that an economic turnaround may be in sight, according to a survey released Monday. The GfK research group said its forward-looking consumer climate index for May stands at 2.5 points — unchanged from April and March.

April 23rd, 2009 Rise in jobless claims weighs on stock futuresNEW YORK — Stocks futures are weakening after weekly unemployment claims rose more than expected. The Labor Department reported Thursday that new jobless claims rose to 640,000 last week.