Slow Growth, High Inflation Worries Haven’t Gone Away Just Yet

Federal Reserve leaves key interest rate unchanged for fourth straight meeting

Fed holds rates steady, but slows expected pace of future cuts

A three-day working week or higher pay: what a more productive economy could buy Australians

Jim Chalmers has kickstarted a conversation about productivity. If we lift it, what would we do with the dividends of our success: work more or spend more?Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralians would have a three-day working week if we had collectively decided in 1980 to spend all the productivity gains of the following decades on leisure time instead of buying more stuff, according to the Productivity Commission.Jim Chalmers has kickstarted a national conversation about reforming the economy to make Australia more productive to underpin the next generation of prosperity. There are plenty of disagreements about how this can be done, but there is general consensus that we should try. Continue reading...

Russian economy on brink of recession — economic development minister

Maxim Reshetnikov noted that figures point to slowdown

Gold is more important for central banks: Serbia among the top 10 largest buyers in the first quarter

Gold has jumped past the euro to the second most important active currency in central banks' foreign exchange reserves.