Germany's consumption growth is moderate.(Brief
article)
Germany's economic growth was likely stimulated by the influx
of tourists for the July 2006 World Cup matches, along with an increase
in construction activity-up 12 percent in April/May 2006 . . .
Mixed economic signals from Bulgaria.(Brief article)
Bulgaria's economy is growing more than expected. On August 3,
2006, the Sofia News Agency distributed a prediction from
Bulgaria's Center for Economic Development (CED), a
non-governmental think . . .
Counterfeit alcoholic beverages in Eastern Europe.
Counterfeit alcoholic beverages are a huge and growing problem in
Eastern Europe, according to a series of reports posted on the
CEE-Foodindustry.com website (Montpellier). The website specializes . . .
Conflicting views about Hungary's status abound.
Recent news out of Hungary is alarming, confusing and misleading.
For example, the chart above clearly shows consumer prices declining
over the past decade.
Consider the following from a July 24, . . .
Finland faces up to fundamental change.
In recent years, Finland has enhanced its reputation as an economic
powerhouse. Now the country regularly tops the World Economic
Forum's "Global Competitiveness Index."
One question that arises . . .
Possible glitch in UK consumer spending.
The first clue to what is happening in the economy of the United
Kingdom (UK) comes from an Agence France-Presse (AFP) (Paris) story
published on June 30, 2006. The story quoted an analyst at a . . .
Evidence for a firm French turnaround.
Talking with the BBC News, France's finance minister said that
France's recovery was on track and that the government's
promises to increase growth and decrease unemployment would be kept. The
BBC . . .
Consumer confidence slips in Italy.
Italy's Institute for Studies and Economic Analyses (ISAE), an
economics think tank, was cited by Reuters on June 22, 2006 as the
source for the information that Italy's consumers were not . . .
German GDP growth questioned.
Mid-August is when the German government next releases its GDP
estimate for 2006. Meanwhile, the country's respected German
Institute for Economic Research, Berlin, commonly known as the . . .
Russia's growth to continue.
Russia has been growing impressively, according to International
Monetary Fund (IMF) statistics since 1999. The average rate of GDP
growth is 5.4 percent for the 10 years from 1998 through 2007 . . .
Furniture.
In spite of the fact that overall retail sales in Germany fell 2.2
percent in May 2006 (when compared with April 2006) furniture sales in
Germany rose 7.4 percent in a similar comparison. The . . .
Ukraine matures as a retail leader in Eastern Europe.
On June 23, 2006, the National Bank of Ukraine, the country's
central bank, announced updates for the implementation of its
electronic cashless payment system. The system uses proprietary . . .
A windfall for many Irish consumers.(special savings incentive
account)
Ireland's economy continues to deliver impressive results, and
the results can only get better. According to a BBC News story published
on May 28, 2006 the five year deposit requirements for . . .
Norway's sophisticated consumer market.
In a May 12, 2006 press release, Norway's Ministry of Finance
says, "The strong performance of the Norwegian economy continues.
Economic activity is high, the labour market is improving rapidly . . .
Some future cautions for Finland.
The headline of an editorial in Scandinavia's biggest
newspaper Helsingin Sanomat (published in Helsinki on May 6, 2006)
reads: "Hard to Find a Chink in Finland's Economic
Armor." Actually, it is . . .
A gloomy forecast for Portugal.(Brief article)
On May 8, 2006, the Chinese news agency Xinhua carried a gloomy
assessment of Portugal's future, which it says originated with a
European Commission (EC) report, published on the same day on . . .
French growth less than expected.(Brief article)
France's National Institute for Statistics and Economic
Studies (Insee) released information on May 19, 2006 showing that the
French economy grew 0.5 percent during the first quarter 2006. For . . .
Eurozone consumers help Spain grow.(exports contributes main part
of the economic development)(Brief article)
Bloomberg News says that Spain is on track to lead growth in the
European Union (EU) for the twelfth straight year. In a May 24, 2006
story Bloomberg highlighted exports as the main reason for . . .
Food trends, Germany.
Among the 25 European Union (EU) member countries, Germany has the
largest consumer base-at 82.5-million people. Food trends in Germany
may, therefore, provide some insight into general EU food . . .
The impact of house prices on the Danish economy.
The point of examining house prices in Denmark is essentially to
answer the question, what-if any-impact are house prices likely have on
the country's economy in general, and on consumption in . . .
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