The euro zone economy probably shrank last quarter, according to a survey which showed demand fell in September at the fastest pace in almost three years as indebted consumers reined in spending in the face of rising borrowing costs and higher prices.
British services companies suffered a less severe downturn in September than first feared, reflecting a surprise fall in inflation and the Bank of England's decision to leave interest rates on hold, a business survey showed on Wednesday.
Japan's economy has recovered and is running near its full capacity in the second quarter, data from the central bank showed on Wednesday, adding to growing signs that conditions for phasing out its massive monetary stimulus are falling into place.
The U.S. should demand that China support debt restructuring for struggling poor and middle-income countries as a condition of changes to the International Monetary Fund's shareholding formula, a former senior U.S. Treasury development expert said on Wednesday.
The U.S. services sector slowed in September as new orders fell to a nine-month low, but the pace remained consistent with expectations for solid economic growth in the third quarter.
The U.S. private sector added a far smaller-than-forecast 89,000 jobs in September, according to a report by payrolls processor ADP on Wednesday, indicating that conditions in the labor market may be loosening, possibly giving the Federal Reserve more leeway to pause rate hikes.