US consumer confidence dipped by nearly 2% in December as prices of single-family homes tumbled at almost twice the pace projected in October, undermining optimism that the country's economy could be taking a turn for the better.
Why 2010 could well be remembered as the year when the long-announced meshing of the real and digital worlds finally came to be. Be it the smartphone, the tablet, social networking or e-commerce, in The France 24 Debate, François Picard’s panel reflects on tools that have changed the way we work… and live.
Why 2010 could well be remembered as the year when the long-announced meshing of the real and digital worlds finally came to be. Be it the smartphone, the tablet, social networking or e-commerce, in The France 24 Debate, François Picard’s panel reflects on tools that have changed the way we work… and live.
Today, our cinema critic Lisa Nesselson brings us the best from the silver screen. Two American movies look at the nature of families: is it consumerism or love, greed or compassion that makes the world go round? Up to cinema goers to judge this week with 'Mother and Child', 'The Joneses' and 'Inside Job'.
Is this the end of the crisis in Europe?
Statistics show it: the boost is happening all over Europe. Unemployment is decreasing, confidence is even striking consumers and firms.
France's national statistics institute, the INSEE, released data Thursday showing that business leaders are increasingly optimistic about the French economy, whereas consumers remain concerned about personal finances and unemployment.
The Chinese, particularly the poor rural population, are notoriously bad consumers. What little money the do earn, they tend to hoard. It's bad news for a government desperately trying to distance itself from an export-driven economy and move to a more consumer-orientated one. In an effort to promote spending, government-backed subsidies on a range of goods are starting to encourage those who wouldn't normally splash out.
In today's press review: a software error meant more than 20 million German credit and debit card holders were left unable to use their cards - a major nuisance in the middle of the winter sale period.
The Winter sales starts in France today. An opportunity to spend that is heavily regulated by the French government : limited to 5 weeks every 6 months. 'Liberation', the French left-leaning daily, reveals a few of today's main spending trends.
