German insurers lifted by tax break report Shares in German insurance companies rose sharply following a Financial Times Deutschland report that they were set to benefit from substantial tax breaks.
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Wall Street was set for a solid open on hopes of an upbeat earnings season. Motorola is in focus, bringing its earnings forward by one day after Moody's downgraded its long-term debt.
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CURRENCIES Dollar strengthens on earnings optimism The US currency edged higher against the euro and the yen as investors cashed in on last week's gains and looked ahead to more US data and earnings this week.
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Germany
Schröder risks defeat on reforms Germany's protracted style of policy-making is approaching a watershed this week. If its parliamentarians reject a batch of reform laws on Friday, it would mean the end of the Schröder government and almost certainly the end of the country's stock market rally. Oct 12 2003 | Read
The eurozone does not have an exchange rate policy. If Europe wanted one, the ECB and finance ministers would have to agree on such a policy jointly. This is highly improbable.
Oct 12 2003 | Read
The pornography industry was the first to make money using the internet and it may well be the last; it is the perfect pioneer lawmaker of cyberspace.
Oct 12 2003 | Read
The newspaper group is heavily criticised for its extravagant pay packages and unorthodox corporate governance. But its high-profile chief executive can give as good as he gets.
Oct 12 2003 | Read
A battler against bribery Peter Eigen, chairman of Transparency International, the anti-corruption watchdog, argues that TI's approach, based on "building coalitions, not on confrontation", has brought results. 16:46 | Read
Free markets demand protection Defenders of labour laws often scoff at the proposition that employers will demand less labour as its cost increases, writes Richard Epstein, professor of law at the University of Chicago. 18:39 | Read