Angela Merkel

The euro began the week above $1.36 after a bumpy month following the European Central Bank’s decision to ease in June. The common currency traded at $1.3625 at 7:15 GMT as investors awaited comments from the heads of both the US Federal Reserve and the ECB this week. With the two...

Worries over Portuguese Lender Banco Espirito Santo dragged markets down on Thursday after the bank delayed payments on some of its short-term debt securities. The news took Portugal’s stock market down 4.2 percent and dragged the rest of the world’s markets down with it. Asian...

Brent crude oil retreated below $108 on Thursday as investors turned their attention from Ukraine to China, where poor data confirmed the nation's economic slowdown. The commodity traded at $107.48 at 7:00 GMT on Friday morning as investors waited for new developments in the icy relationship...

The euro maintained its strength on Monday even as tension in Ukraine continued. The common currency traded at $1.3882 at 5:43 GMT, while Western officials condemned Russia's decision to take over the Crimean peninsula. Reuters reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticized Russian...

The euro traded steadily at $1.3794 at 6:30 GMT on Tuesday morning after climbing on Monday as eurozone banks prepared to pay back cheap loans to the ECB. The common currency has had a strong end of the year as confidence returned to the region and its banks prepareed for strict asset quality...

The euro was steady near $1.37 on Thursday morning after a quiet week which was interrupted by the Christmas holiday. The common currency was strong against the dollar going into the new year as confidence in the 17 nation bloc returned. With Europe's financial crisis under control and several...

At the close of its December policy meeting on Wednesday, the US Federal Reserve announced that it was going to cut down on its stimulus spending. The bank elected to reduce its $85 billion per month asset purchases by $10 billion and promised to keep its key interest rate low even longer than...

The Bank of Japan's latest Tankan survey results showed that business confidence in the nation rose to its highest level in six years from October to December. Even more encouraging was that sentiment for smaller firms, which are normally last to receive the benefits of an economic recovery,...

The euro retreated slightly from Thursday's highs as political problems in the 17-nation bloc reminded markets of the region's fragility. The common currency traded at $1.3749 at 5:15 GMT on Friday morning. The Wall Street Journal reported that Catalonia, Spain's leading industrial region, has set...

The euro was steady at $1.3593 at 5:15 GMT on Wednesday morning after the dollar lost some of its strength on lower than expected consumer confidence data. The common currency was supported by news that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Social Democratic Party were working to strike a deal...

With several large retail chains planning to begin their Black Friday deals on Thanksgiving, some retailers are holding firm and refusing to participate even if it means losing some of their sales. Although the stores could lose valuable sales as many shoppers are planning to head out on...

Doug McMillon will replace Mike Duke as CEO of Wal-Mart following the holiday season on January 31, 2014. McMillon, who currently heads up Wal-Mart's international division. He will take over at a time when the company is struggling to compete with other low cost retailers like Target and...

The euro continued to flounder on Monday morning after poor inflation data and a surprise rate cut from the European Central Bank helped push the common currency down over the past week. The euro traded at $1.336 at 5:15 GMT on Monday as the region came one step closer to setting up a banking...

US markets have been operating on the assumption that the US Federal Reserve will continue with its bond buying plan until March of 2014. With the Fed meeting to come to a close on Wednesday afternoon, most are hoping the bank won’t have any surprises in store. The recent rallies in stocks and...

The dollar sagged on Tuesday as the two day US Federal Reserve policy meeting got underway. Most are expecting the bank to maintain its easy money asset purchase program and delay any cut backs on the stimulus until at least March. September’s US manufacturing output did little to support the...