France Recession

• Brazil Enters Recession in Second Quarter

  Moody's has cut Brazil's credit rating to near junk status, reflecting growing struggles with debt.

• Italy PM apologises for youth brain drain

  Prime Minister Enrico Letta on Sunday issued an apology to the young Italians who have found themselves forced to leave the recession-hit country in the face of record-high youth unemployment.

• France slips into recession in new woe for Hollande

  France fell into recession in the first three months of this year, official figures showed Wednesday, in further bad news for President Francois Hollande exactly a year after he came to power.

• Euro zone marks longest ever recession as economy shrinks in Q1

  Falling output across the bloc, from France to Finland, meant the 17-nation economy shrank 0.2 per cent in the January to March period, the EU's statistics office Eurostat said.

• Facing recession, record dole queues right through 2013: European Union

  The eurozone is staring at another full year of recession in 2013 with unemployment likely to surge above the 20-million mark and France set to overshoot fiscal targets, the European Union (EU) warned today.

• EU says euro zone economy to shrink again in 2013

  The European Union predicted Friday that the economy of the 17 member countries that use the euro will shrink again in 2013 even though it will see its fortunes improve in the second half of the year.

• China on mend, but euro zone still shrinking

  China's vast manufacturing sector expanded in December but the euro zone is probably deeper in recession, business surveys suggested on Friday.

• Euro zone slips into second recession since 2009

  The euro zone fell into a recession in July-September, the second since the global financial crisis in 2009, as French resilience could not make up for a slump across Europe and the three-year debt crisis slowed Germany to a crawl. Economic output in the 17-country euro zone fell 0.1 percent in the third quarter, the EU's statistics office Eurostat...

• Europe on the edge of recession

  The eurozone is grappling with sky-high debt levels and record unemployment of 11.2 per cent. Compared with the year before, the eurozone's economy is 0.4 per cent smaller. The region's economy would have slipped into recession had it not been for better-than-expected GDP figures from its two leading economies, Germany and France.

• Greek economy shrinks 6.2% in Q1

  The Bank of Greece warned in March that the economy could shrink 4.5 per cent this year as the recession drags on.

• 'Turbulence' warning as European Union marks 62nd birthday

  Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti warned Europe faces "turbulence" and called for a "coalition of the willing" on growth as the European Union celebrated a tense 62nd birthday.

• Global economy: What gloom means for India, Sensex, rupee

  The storm clouds are gathering once again. After a brief reprieve, the global picture is again starting to look nervous reminding us that the ghost of the 2008 financial crisis is still with us. Crucial elections this past weekend in Greece and France have pushed Europe back into uncertain times. A shift of power in Greece, France has raised questi...

• European shares lower as concerns persist

  Uncertainty over Greek and French election implications made shares dip even lower today.

• Gold hits 2-week high as U.S. data weighs on dollar

  Spot gold edged up 0.2 percent to $1,667.45 earlier, its highest since April 13, before easing to $1,665.56 an ounce by 0300 GMT. Investors are keeping a watchful eye on weekend elections in France and Greece and a European Central Bank meeting on Thursday, after data showed that Spain sank into recession in the first quarter.

• Europe should pull out of recession in late 2012: S&P report

  Standard & Poor's report says, the European economy may pick up modestly late this year and in 2013.