Protectionist trade policies may increase, rather than reduce, a country's trade deficit, the European Central Bank said in a study on Wednesday, just days after finance chiefs of the world's top 20 economies dropped their pledge for open trade.

Some of Japan's top companies announced their lowest wage hikes in years on Wednesday, marking the latest challenge for Tokyo's bid

Most CEOs of large US companies view tax and regulatory reform as their top policy priorities, with only three percent naming health care reform, according to a survey released Tuesday.

Finance ministers from the world's top nations gather in Germany Friday as fears grow that US President Donald Trump could upend the global economic order with his America First policy.

The rupee hit a 16-month peak against the dollar and bonds rallied the most in two weeks on Wednesday on hopes of a less hawkish tone on interest rates by the US Federal Reserve at the end of its two-day policy meeting later in the day.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde on Tuesday warned the world's largest economies to avoid damaging the incipient global recovery with policies that would derail trade and immigration.

AT the break of dawn each day, dozens of women forced to flee their homes during Nepal's decade-long civil war load their bicycles with vegetables and head to market.

JAPAN'S crisis-racked Toshiba Corp has offered shares in its memory chip unit to creditors as collateral to secure debt refinancing, people briefed on the matter said on Wednesday.

Britain's unemployment rate has struck the lowest level for more than 41 years, official data showed on Wednesday as the country prepares to trigger its exit from the EU. However a drop in the jobless rate comes alongside news of slowing wages growth.

Oil prices climbed more than $1 on Wednesday, lifted by a surprise drawdown in US inventories and data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggesting Opec cuts should create a crude deficit in the first half of 2017.

Some of Japan's top companies announced their lowest wage hikes in years on Wednesday, marking the latest challenge for Tokyo's bid to boost spending and the economy.

President Donald Trump on Thursday will offer the first details of his plans for deep cuts in domestic programs and foreign aid, releasing a budget outline that would boost military spending by $54 billion and seek cuts of the same size in non-defense programs.

Spain's fashion retail giant Inditex, owner of popular brand Zara, said Wednesday that its drive to expand internationally helped push up profits last year.

Brazil's inflation rate slowed unexpectedly sharply last month, falling to its lowest for February since 2000, official figures showed Friday.

China on Saturday tried to downplay concerns it is reducing market access for foreign enterprises, days after a report by an EU group accused Beijing of trying to skew its business playing field towards domestic firms.

Britain's industrial output recoiled in January as the nation prepared to exit the European Union, official data showed Friday.

The economy of bailed-out eurozone member Cyprus grew for an eighth consecutive quarter, helped by record numbers of tourists flocking to the Mediterranean island, official figures showed Friday.

BRITAIN'S exit from the European Union will trim 0.2-0.4 percentage points off Spain's gross domestic product growth, according to a government report published Friday by daily newspaper El Pais.

The US economy had another strong month of job creation in February, the Labor Department reported Friday -- a result sure to boost already high expectations that the Fed will raise interest rates next week.

Germany's trade surplus ticked upwards in January, official data showed Friday, as attacks from the Trump White House over the nation's export strength intensify.