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International Business News
US housing starts, permits surge in June
AFP, VWuh intron
US housing starts and construction permits surged in June after strong gains the prior month, government data showed Friday, suggesting the prolonged real-estate slump may be casing
The Commerce Department reported permits to build privately owned homes rose to a seasonally adjusted rate of563,000, a sharp 8.7 percent higher than Ln May.
Permits, a forward-looking indicator of the housing sector, had climbed to a revised Muy rate of 518,000. That was a 4,0 percent gain from April when they had tumbled to an all time low
The June permits were far stronger than the 524,000 expected by most analysts.
However, permits were still 52.0 percent below their June 2008 level.
The number of permits to build single-family homes, the largest segment of the housing construction sector, rose for the third month running, by 5.9 percent, after gains of 7.4 percent in May and 5.0 percent in April.
Permits for buildings with five units or more shot up 18.8 percent in June.
Construction starts on privately owned homes rose 3.6 percent in June after soaring 17.3 percent the prior month. On an annual basis, they were 46.0 percent lower.
The Commerce Department said the housing starts rate climbed to 582,000 after a revised 562,000 in May, up from an initial estimate of532,000.
GE reports lower earnings, all segments profitable
AFP, Washington
US conglomerate General Electric said Friday profits in the past quarter fell 49 percent from a year ago to 2.68 billion dollars.
The company, which makes aircraft engines, energy equipment and owns the NBC Universal media entertainment group, remained profitable in all its segments, including its struggling finance unit.
"In a global economic environment that continues to remain challenging, GE delivered solid second-quarter business results," GE chairman and chief executive Jeff Immelt said.
"We are executing through the recession by aggressively controlling costs and driving working capital improvements while continuing to invest for future growth," he added.
"At the same time, we are actively maintaining our backlog, focusing on higher-margin services and continuing to run our financial services business for safety and soundness. We continue to position GE to win in a reset economy."
The profit amounted to 26 cents per share, three cents better than expected by Wall Street, on revenues of 26 billion dollars, a 17 percent drop from a year ago. London market eyes economic data next week
AFP, London
Investors in Britain will look to more economic data next week for prospects of extending this week's unchecked surge on the London stock exchange.
London's FTSE 100 index gained a huge 6.34 percent over the past week to close on Friday at 4,388.75 points --its biggest weekly surge since its record 13.41 percent run amid global financial turbulence in November.
It was boosted by better-than-expected earnings statements from the major US banks Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Citigroup and Bank of America, which raised optimism for a recovery in the stricken financial sector.
More boosters could come next week with Britain due on Friday to publish a preliminary estimate of gross domestic product in the second quarter.
Economists polled by Calyon bank estimated a relatively mild 0.3 percent contraction from the previous quarter, when the economy shrank 2.4 percent.
The year-on-year contraction is forecast at 5.2 percent in 2009, up from 4.9 percent in 2008.
Other data on British public finances for June, due on Tuesday, was expected to confirm that the country's budget deficit was rocketing, like those of other European slates, raising concern over how it will manage its growing debt.
German economy may be on way up
AFP, Berlin
A severe drop in German economic activity may be coming to an end, the economy ministry said on Friday in its latest monthly report based on several encouraging indicators.
"Many signs suggest economic activity might have stabilised in the second quarter" of 2009 after plunging by a record 3.8 percent in the first.
The comments would undoubtedly raise hopes ahead of the August 13 release of Germany's gross domestic product figure from the period between April and June.
Government officiaLs nonetheless still expect Europe's biggest economy to contract by a whopping 6.0 percent this year, despite the arrival of some good news recently.
"Industrial demand has come back to life" and prospects for the key sector "have improved markedly," the ministry said.