Business Blog

Local governments allow factories to pay lower contributions than legally required due to concerns about manufacturers moving operations elsewhere

By Catherine EvansLONDON, May 5 (Reuters) - European stocks slipped in thin trade on Monday after soft Chinese manufacturing data, while simmering tensions in Ukraine underpinned safe-haven government bonds and gold.Portuguese bond yields edged to eight-year lows after Lisbon said on Sunday the country would make a clean exit from its bailout later this month.Volumes were thinned by the closure of

European Commission says eurozone’s recovery is holding as it forecasts inflation to slow further, to 0.8% this year and 1.2% in 2015

* London market closed for public holiday * Euro STOXX 50 falls 0.4 pct * Weak China data and Ukraine tensions weigh on equities * UBS equity strategists cut China rating to "neutral" * M&A could boost markets in May - Clairinvest fund...

The GCC-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (GSFTA), which came into force in September 2013, will go a long way in taking economic relations between the two sides to greater heights and enhance their volume of trade exchange in foreseeable future.

In many Muslim countries, the majority of people still live in poverty and lack access to financial services, include insurance, which can help them to prevent their worsening economic conditions.