Browsing: Business

Bank of Italy said Italy logged a €27.4bn current account surplus in 2025, helped by a €3.4bn primary income surplus after a 2024 deficit.

Eurostat said the EU posted a €28.4bn extra-EU goods trade surplus in Q4 2025 as exports totaled €643bn and imports €614.6bn; energy deficit offset surplus gains.

UK unemployment rose to 5.2% in Oct-Dec 2025 the highest since 2015 outside the pandemic, while regular pay growth slowed to 4.2%, ONS said. Payrolls fell 121k.

Germany confirmed January 2026 inflation at 2.1%, matching the earlier estimate, as higher food and services costs lifted prices while energy fell year on year.

Baker McKenzie proposed business services changes after an AI focused review putting hundreds of support roles under consultation across its global offices now.

Kamchatka’s capital will stage the Sustainable Development Forum Feb 17-21, with three tracks covering investment, urban master plans, and tourism plus hospitality.

EU antitrust charges target Meta over WhatsApp Business API limits on third party AI assistants, while WhatsApp Web rolls out voice and video calls in browser.

Gold’s rebound above $5,000 to near $5,078 followed steep early-February losses and record January highs, with the softer U.S. dollar in focus for metal buyers.

IEA says global electricity demand will grow over 3.5% a year to 2030, needing about 50% higher annual grid investment to keep reliability worldwide as EV rise.

ECB kept interest rates unchanged at 2 percent as eurozone growth stayed resilient, inflation fell to 1.7 percent and unemployment remained near record lows.