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American Economy registered a growth by 5.6% during the fourth quarter of 2009, lower than the 5.9 expected by analysts. This is a 0,3% lower than previous calculations, reported today the commerce department.

economic growth

During all 2009, the Gross Domestic product of the United States contracted by 2,4% according the final calculation from the government.

The increase of Gross Domestic Product in the fourth quarter of 2009, reflected mainly “the positive contributions of private investment on inventories, exportations, expenditure on personal consumption and non residential non movable investment, shown the report”.

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The Chinese economy became in 2009 the first exporter in the world, surpassing Germany, by making the 9,6% of the exportations in all the world, with a value higher than $1,200Bn according data from the World Trade Organization (WTO).

This way, the Asiatic giant advanced a position since 2008, when the first exporter of goods was Germany, the second China and the third the United States.

From the point of view of importations, according the data from the World Trade Organization these countries are also holding the first three positions, although the United States are still keeping the first position once more, the second position is to China (that advanced a position from 2008) , and the third from Germany.

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The uncertainties about the aid to Greece are still affecting the Euro, today this currency is in three-week minimums. Investors are waiting the next meeting that leaders of the European union will hold on Thursday, where they expect that the aid to Greece will be defined. The Euro is now at $1,3491, slightly below his value on Friday.

“It seems that there is an agreement on a certain kind of aid to Greece, but it is unfair which form will take” and this keeps the Euro pressed by sales, explained Carl Hammer, currency strategist from SEB in declarations to Reuters.

The Euro should fall to its historical minimum against the Swiss Franc (1.40) in front of the Swiss National Bank’s passivity to stop the growth of this currency, according a report from Barclays.

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Both the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan have decided to postpone a increase of interest rates. The answer in the currency market is a brake for the dollar and the Yen, and a higher increase for the most punished currency last months: the pound.

The activity began past Wednesday when the meeting of the Federal Reserve ended. The Federal reserve did not change his speech, and although the weak signals of recovery, is still likely to keep interest rates between 0% and 0.25% during a long period of time.

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The situation of the Spanish economy in the last quarter of 2009, was bad or very bad for the 94.7% of the experts that participated in the report “Economic Consensus”. From the consultant PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The report highlighted in addition, that the 47.7% believes that the situation of the Spanish economy will remain equal during the next 6 months.

In the report, where participated 96 experts, 42.7% that the situation of the Spanish economy economy during the fourth quarter of 2009 was very bad ( in front of 58.4% from the previous report), and 52% said that was bad (40.4% the previous report)

When asking the participants about their perception for the next 6 months, 51.04% said that the Spanish economy will improve, 44.7% that will not change, and 4.17% that will get worse.

The experts of the report, also answered a question about the economic growth in 2010, 47,9% answered that will be between -1.5% and 0.5%; 34,4% answered that will be higher than -0.5%; and 16.6% answered t between -3% and -1.5%.

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New Greek National Debt at 10 years has been finally pulled into the market, the emission was a proof to set the reliability of the markets on Greek National Debt. The good new is than in just two hours the demands reached € 15.500 million, the triple of the amount expected.

During all this year, Greece has only made a bond emission. It was in mid January, just before the fears of the market on the Greek National Debt and the high fiscal deficit of Greece , the the country pulled €8000 million at 5 years.

The objective, is spread €5000 million in bonds at 10 years. The analysts expected that the price could be around 310 basic points over midswap, the reference index of that kind of emissions.

The first figures from the demand, have allowed to reduce the expectations about the final price of new Greek National Debt emitted, to 300 basic points over midswap. According sources from the Greek government, the emission of Greek National Debt was closed in just two hours, when reaching €15.500 million,three times more than the amount expected. The interest rate of these bonds could be around 6,4% according Reuters.

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Thomas Hoenig, president of the Federal Reserve in Kansas and one of the most pro-increase of interest rates in the Federal Reserve, launched a warning to the market when stating that a long period with ultra low interest rates invites to the speculation and is dangerous. The price of money in the Unites States is between 0% and 0,25% since December of 2008.

“When your interest rate is permanently at 0, you are inviting future problems. We know that the 0 isn’t sustainable…the market knows it”, stated Hoenig.

Furthermore, the regional president of the Federal Reserve, stated that the Central Bank of the United States must be ready to increase interest rates although having high unemployment rates.

Hoenig has been positioned as of the the falcons in the Federal Reserve. He appeared in the act of the last meeting of the Federal Reserve, released on February 17th ; asking for a important change on the Federal Reserve’s official message: instead of saying that the interest rates will be low “during a long period of time” say “at the moment”.

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The expectations of recovery in the economy of the United States, suffered a hard hit when a very bad data about household sales has been released. In January, transactions fell by 11.2% to 309.00 households, this data is worse than all the analyst’s forecasts.

The crisis in the real state industry returns to cool the hopes of a better economy in the United States. The forecasts predicted a sale of 355.000 households, data from the Commerce Department reduced this amount to 309.000.

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The Chief economist from the Bank of America in New York, Mickey Levy, believes that the decision adopted by the Federal Reserve two days ago, when increasing the discount interest rate, shows that “the financial crisis ended, in great part”.

In declarations took by Bloomberg, Levy estimates that “it is time to normalize things”, after the Federal Reserve began to trim the interest rates when lending money to the banks in the beginning of the financial crisis at the end of 2007. The economist points that this movement “doesn’t represent too much, because any bank in a situation without crisis will go to the discount office if doesn’t have problems”.

On Thursday, the Federal Reserve increased for first time since June 2006 the discount interest rates given to the banks with need of liquidity to obtain short therm financement by an increase of 0.25% to the rate of 0.75%.

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The Good macroeconomic references in the United States boosted the dollar, that rose by 1% when crossing it with the Euro, to $1,3622 dollars.

The industrial production rose by 0,9% in January, in front of the analysts forecasts that pointed to a 0,7%. This data comes to reinforce the positive report from the manufacture activity published yesterday.

The other report expected by the market, the beginning and building of households, has also been positive, with an increase in January by 2,8% to 591,000 units, also over than what was expected.

With signs of recovery in his economy, the dollar won positions respect the main currencies like the yen and the pound.

The Euro began the session struggling against the dollar, moving from the risk appetite of investors and the prudence on the evolution of Greek debt. However the good forecasts in the United States gave the change to the dollar.

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