Articles by: Miroslav Marinoff

Sweden’s services sector shrinks in April

Sweden’s services sector has contracted in April, data by Swedbank showed on Monday, which followed four consecutive months of expansion. The Services Purchasing Managers’ Index came in at a reading of 48.1 in April, down from a revised up 54.1 in March. Last month, new business volume dropped considerably, with the respective gauge down to […] Read more

CNO Financial raises quarterly dividend to $0.16

CNO Financial Group Inc (NYSE: CNO) said that its Board of Directors had authorized a quarterly cash dividend of $0.16 per share of common stock. The latter represents an increase from a prior dividend of $0.15 per share. The dividend will be paid on June 24th to shareholders of record as of the close of […] Read more

Norway’s unemployment rate steady at 2% in April

The jobless rate in Norway was reported at 2% in April, or unchanged from the prior month, data by the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Organisation showed. It has also been the lowest rate since December 2023. The number of unemployed persons in the country went down to 71,220 in April from 71,560 in March, the […] Read more

Euro Area unemployment rate stable at record low of 6.5%

The jobless rate in the Euro Area was reported at an all-time low of 6.5% in March, or unchanged from the prior three months and also matching market consensus. In March, the number of unemployed persons dropped by 94,000 from the preceding month to 11.087 million, data by Eurostat showed. Euro Area’s youth unemployment rate, […] Read more

Singapore’s retail sales growth decelerates in March

Retail sales in Singapore grew at an annual rate of 2.7% in March, the latest data by Statistics Singapore showed, while slowing substantially from February’s revised up 8.6% growth. The latter has been the sharpest increase in a year, driven by higher receipts from the Lunar New Year holiday season. In March, sales grew for […] Read more

Italy’s unemployment rate at more than 15-year low

The unemployment rate in Italy has decreased to an over 15-year low in March, the latest data by the National Institute of Statistics showed. The jobless rate was reported at 7.2% in March, down from 7.4% in February. In comparison, market consensus had pointed to a rate of 7.5%. The number of unemployed persons dropped […] Read more

Norges Bank leaves policy rate intact at 4.5%

The Norwegian Krone firmed to an intraday high against the Euro on Friday, after Norway’s central bank left interest rates on hold at its May policy meeting, in line with market expectations. Norges Bank left its key policy rate without change at 4.5% and said the rate would remain at the current level for “some […] Read more

Switzerland’s CPI inflation accelerates to four-month high

Annual consumer price inflation in Switzerland has accelerated to its highest level since December 2023 in April, the latest data by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office showed. The annual inflation rate was reported at 1.4% in April, up from 1% in March and compared to market consensus of 1.1%. The latest reading was driven by […] Read more

Barclays to lay off ”a few hundred” investment bank staff

According to a report by Reuters, citing sources familiar with the matter, Barclays (BARC) intends to eliminate “a few hundred roles” at its investment bank, as it bolsters efforts to tackle underperforming staff and reinvest in new talent. The financial group has already initiated a business-wide cost reduction programme, which is expected to cut costs […] Read more

OneMain boosts quarterly dividend to $1.04

OneMain Holdings Inc (NYSE: OMF) said on Tuesday that its Board of Directors had authorized a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share of common stock. The latter represents a 4% increase compared to the previous quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share. The dividend will be paid on May 17th to shareholders of record as of […] Read more