Sweden's economic recovery slows to a halt

Sweden, which had one of the strongest economic growth rates in Europe until a month ago, has hit the buffers with strong recovery from the 2008-2009 crisis grinding to a halt, the National Institute of Economic Research (NIER) said on Wednesday.

"The recovery in the world economy has slowed to a halt, and so has economic recovery in Sweden," the institute cautioned in a statement.

Jobs recovery continues to sputter

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Don't look to August for a robust jobs recovery. According to a report out Wednesday, the U.S. economy added jobs during the month, but not nearly at the momentum seen earlier this year.

Private sector employers added 91,000 workers in August, down from the 109,000 jobs added in July, payroll processing firm ADP reported.

Market turmoil threatens recovery: European Union

BRUSSELS: The recent turmoil on financial markets threatens economic recovery in the European Union, the bloc's top economic official said today.

The warning from EU Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn came after a turbulent summer for markets across the globe, as investors worried about a potential new recession in the United States, the eurozone's ability to resolve its debt crisis and the health of European banks.

Libya crisis: a decade to rebuild Libya, says NTC

Rebuilding Libya's infrastructure will take at least 10 years, according to the head of the Libyan Stabilisation Team at the country's National Transitional Council (NTC).

Libya's infrastructure was in a poor state even before the revolution due to "utter neglect", the head of the team, Ahmed Jehani, told the BBC.

Britain's recovery begins to slow down

by Adrian Roberts

Britain's economic recovery slowed in the second quarter of 2011 after official figures estimating GDP growth of 0.2 per cent were unrevised today.

The downturn, which followed the biggest fall in activity for manufacturing and other production industries in two years, was down on the 0.5 per cent increase in the previous quarter, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Stocks recover after Bernanke predicts US growth

By DAVID K. RANDALL

Stocks rose in afternoon trading Friday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the U.S. is on track for long-term economic growth. Trading volume was light, a sign that many traders were taking steps to leave the New York area ahead of an approaching hurricane.

Bernanke left open the possibility of more action by the Fed if another recession looks likely. But he announced no new economic stimulus measures during his speech at a conference in Jackson Hole, Wyo.

The un-recovery

THE Bureau of Economic Analysis just released its second estimate of GDP growth for the second quarter, and the pace of expansion was revised down, from 1.3% to 1.0% (a bit worse than the revision to 1.1% that was expected). The 0.4% first quarter growth estimate wasn't changed, which means that for the first half of 2011 the American economy expanded at a 0.7% pace. That's below the rate of population growth, which is to say that in per capita terms output continues to shrink. So how are things looking forward? Will consider the BEA's take on the improvement in the economy from the first quarter to the second:

The acceleration in real GDP in the second quarter primarily reflected a deceleration in imports, an upturn in federal government spending, and an acceleration in nonresidential fixed investment that were partly offset by decelerations in PCE and in exports and a downturn in private inventory investment.

Goolsbee: Outside Factors Marred US Economic Recovery

By Hiram Reisner

Former White House economic adviser Austan Goolsbee reiterated the contention Thursday that outside factors strongly contributed to a standstill in America’s economic recovery.

“In the year 2010 . . . we were growing,” Goolsbee told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “Now, at the beginning of this year, we get earthquakes, tsunamis, revolutions in the Middle East, European financial crises — I mean, we’ve got a series of things that have put some heavy blows and slowed the economy back down again.

Las Vegas sees no immediate economic recovery

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Las Vegas, known as the Entertainment Capital of the World, has suffered seriously from the recession and it sees no immediate recovery.

Unemployment in Las Vegas rose from 13.8 percent in June to 14 percent in July, while joblessness statewide jumped from 12.4 percent to 12.9 percent, according to Nevada's Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. It was the second straight month of unemployment increases after several months of declines.

Potential impct of US 'Double Dip' on global economic recovery

Aug 25 - Fitch Ratings has published a new report exploring the simulated effects of a hypothetical 'double dip' recession in the US on the global economic recovery, where US growth falls to 1% in 2011, negative 0.6% in 2012, and 1.5% in 2013.

As a result of official data revisions and a raft of weak economic indicators, Fitch recently lowered its forecasts for US growth to 1.8% in 2011 (from 2.6%) and 2.3% in 2012 (from 2.8%).

Housing Market Stability Key to Economic Recovery-NAR

To help develop policies that will stabilize the nation’s housing market and support an economic recovery, the National Association of Realtors® urges the White House to host a summit of policy makers, industry leaders and government stake holders focused on revitalizing the nation’s housing.

“As the leading advocate for housing issues, Realtors® know that home ownership supports our nation’s economy,” said NAR President Ron Phipps, broker-president of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I. “Housing and home ownership issues affect all Americans, which is why we need strong policies that will help stabilize the housing market and lead the way out of today’s economic struggles.”

What is the President's economic recovery plan?

Home sales are at an all time low, but prices for groceries, school supplies and basic necessities like power and gas are going up. Our economy remains extremely fragile, with signs of continued weakness. The economy is not generating enough jobs and unemployment remains above nine percent. The stakes couldn’t be higher. Now, more than ever, the American people need the President to lead.

What is President Obama’s plan for economic recovery? We’re over two and a half years into his presidency, and President Obama has failed to put forward a plan that grows the economy and puts Americans back to work. The President’s policies have only resulted in higher deficits and have failed to create jobs, which is exactly why many are frustrated. Since President Obama took office on January 20, 2009, the national debt has increased by $3.7 trillion. To put that in perspective, it took the U.S. from 1776 until 1992 to accumulate the same amount of debt that President Obama accumulated in two and a half years.

Weak US economy ‘is bad news for recovery’

ECONOMIC weakness in the US will make economic recovery in the UK more difficult, an audience of South Wales business leaders has been warned.

Speaking to 100 business-owners and entrepreneurs at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, Royal Bank of Scotland economic adviser James McCann said, given the importance of the US as a market for British goods, problems there would be felt here in South Wales.

U.S. Stock Futures Rally on Speculation Fed Will Spur Economy

Aug. 23 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. stock futures rose, indicating the Standard & Poor's 500 Index will rebound from the lowest valuation since 2009, on speculation the Federal Reserve will act to spur the economic recovery.

Alcoa Inc. and Exxon Mobil Corp. added at least 1.2 percent as commodity prices rallied for a second day. Bank of America Corp. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. advanced more than 1.3 percent, following a tumble in financial stocks yesterday. Nvidia Corp., a maker of graphics chips, climbed 3.4 percent after Wells Fargo & Co. raised its recommendation.

Failure to push exports puts economy at risk, warns report

THE UK has failed to harness the power of exports to drive forward economic recovery and is in danger of losing out in markets essential for future growth, a damning report warns today.

The report by the leading IPPR think tank will sound alarm bells in Wales with its warning that Britain’s manufacturing sector is failing to make inroads in vital emerging economic powers such as Brazil, Russia, India and China.

Economic Analysis: Recovery continues to surge

By By Eric Siegel

It is 2011, and the recession is over. We have seen six consecutive quarters of GDP growth, the S&P 500 has returned over 18 percent since a year ago, and this month's Consumer Confidence Index is up from December.

January's unemployment rate, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, showed that the job market is improving, despite a still meager job outlook for adult women, teenagers, blacks and Hispanics.

Canadian Stocks Fall as Banks Drop on Economic Growth Concerns

Canadian stocks fell, extending a weekly drop, as banks declined on concern the global economic recovery is slowing.

Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD), Canada’s second-largest lender by assets, lost 2.7 percent after Citigroup Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their U.S. growth forecasts. Penn West Petroleum Ltd., a western Canadian energy producer, decreased 3.2 percent as crude oil headed for its fourth-straight weekly retreat. Barrick Gold Corp. (ABX), the world’s biggest gold producer, rose 1.3 percent as the metal extended a record.

Scotland Leading Economic Recovery say Dundee MSPs

Scotland is leading the economic recovery with employment up 24,000 in the last three months and unemployment rates remaining lower than the UK average and Dundee’s MSPs have contrasted these improvements in Scotland with continuing stagnation south of the border.

The Dundee MSPs also welcomed Labour MP Jim McGovern’s admission that ‘there has been some improvement as a whole in Scotland’ and claim that figures for numbers in employment due later this year will show increases in Dundee in line with the national increase.

BoJ Minutes: Must Aid Recovery With Policy

(RTTNews) - Members of the Bank of Japan's monetary policy board said that the central bank must continue to assist the country's fragile economic recovery with all of the means at its disposal, minutes from the bank's June 13 and 14 meeting revealed on Tuesday.

The bank's strategy includes comprehensive monetary easing, ensuring financial market stability, and providing support to strengthen the foundations for economic growth, the minutes showed.

Five False Premises about Economic Recovery

For a year or so following the financial crisis, the recovery strategy in most countries was based on a renewed belief in activist government—stimulus packages, bailout of key industrial and financial firms and even talk of (and some action on) industrial policy, notably related to “green growth”.

Since then, however, a different kind of recovery strategy has been on the ascendancy. This strategy believes that recovery requires a dramatic cut in government spending, minimal tax increases (ideally tax cuts for the rich) and deregulation.

In State Capitals, Officials Take Recovery Into Their Own Hands

DENVER — Here is one measure of the nation’s lingering economic trouble and the political anxiety festering in state capitals over jobs and angry voters: 500.

That is the number of new laws, at a minimum, that have been passed and signed by governors since Jan. 1 that were aimed in some fashion at economic recovery, according to the bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures.

Economic recovery falters dramatically in first half of year

The economic recovery faltered dramatically in the first half of the year, and that means more trouble ahead.

The latest Commerce Department figures show that the nation's economic output was gasping for breath long before the debilitating debt-ceiling debate took center stage, further dimming prospects for 14 million unemployed Americans.