Canada posts firm job growth
13 March 2010 - Canada posted firmer than expected jobs growth in February, confirming economic recovery is taking hold. All the employment gains came from full-time jobs. (more)

Factbox: Interesting numbers from the Forbes list of world's richest people
13 March 2010 - Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim is the new richest person in the world, Forbes said on 10 March. Here are some numbers from the Forbes 2010 ranking of the world's billionaires: (more)

India set to return to 8.5 per cent growth in FY11 - Deputy chairman Planning Commission
13 March 2010 - India is well-set to go back to 8.5 per cent growth in the next fiscal year, a top policy adviser said on Friday. Deputy chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia also said he expects foreign fund inflows to continue to be good. (more)

Japanese auto giant drives toward home solar hydrogen refuelling
13 March 2010 - Honda Motor Co's latest idea in its drive to make hydrogen the fuel of choice for zero emission cars is the home solar hydrogen refuelling station. The Japanese auto giant believes hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles offer the best long-term alternative to fossil fuels and the company showed on Friday a refuelling breakthrough that it says points to a home version down the road. Honda is widely seen as the hydrogen leader. (more)

Kenyan agriculture stocks rally after heavy rains
13 March 2010 - Unseasonably heavy rains in Kenya and an improved production outlook have triggered a rally in agricultural stocks on east Africa's largest stock market, market observers said on 12 March. The bumper crop is seen bolstering growth in the region's largest economy this year, where the agricultural sector accounts for about a quarter of gross domestic product. (more)

Nigeria approves $1 billion disbursal from oil savings
13 March 2010 - Nigeria's Acting President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday approved the disbursal of a further $1 billion from the country's windfall oil savings, leaving about $4.1 billion in the account, government officials said. Jonathan has said maintaining peace in the Niger Delta, improving Nigeria's power supply, and fighting corruption are among his top priorities. (more)

Smart grid spending powers ahead in Asia
13 March 2010 - Japan, South Korea, and China are investing about $9 billion this year in infrastructure and information technology to make electricity networks more efficient, creating lucrative opportunities for niche technology and equipment providers. The 'smart grid' system, through computerized monitoring of electricity flowing through a power grid, allows utilities to automatically manage electricity usage in a way that is more reliable and flexible. (more)

US: EPA to allow states address rising ocean acidity
13 March 2010 - The US Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday it will consider ways the states can address rising acidity levels in oceans, which pose a serious threat to shellfish and other marine life. 'Protection of the nation's water quality, including the health of our ocean waters, is among EPA's highest priorities,' the agency said in a statement. 'EPA is interested in learning more about how to protect our ocean and coastal waters from acidification.' (more)

US: February retail-sales report offers positive surprise
13 March 2010 - Retail sales posted a surprising increase in February as consumers did not let major snowstorms stop them from racking up purchases. The advance, the biggest since November, provided hope that the recovery from the Great Recession is gaining momentum. For February, sales rose 0.3 per cent, the Commerce Department said Friday. That surpassed expectations that sales would decline 0.2 per cent. (more)

US: General Motors's Lutz says hybrids, electrics are future
13 March 2010 - General Motors will keep making big trucks and SUVs because US buyers demand them, but a major portion of them will be gas-electric hybrids in the near future, retiring Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said Friday. Lutz didn't give details, but said GM must apply hybrid technology to more vehicles in order to meet fuel-economy standards that will rise 40 per cent to an average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020. (more)

World equities up 73 per cent a year after crisis low
13 March 2010 - Globally, equities remain around 73 per cent higher than the low ebb of the financial crisis exactly 12 months ago. MSCI's all-country world stock index, a broad measure of global equities, hit a low on 9 March 2009. The index then rose around 80 per cent before hitting a high on 11 January this year. (more)

World's mega-rich adding wealth, Carlos Slim Number 1
13 March 2010 - Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim is the world's richest person, moving Microsoft founder Bill Gates into second spot, as the wealth of the world's billionaires grew by 50 per cent over the last year, Forbes magazine said on 10 March. Investor Warren Buffett is the third richest. The number of billionaires around the world has nearly recovered in 2010 after dropping by a third last year during the global financial crisis. There are now 1,011 billionaires, compared with 793 last year, and 1,125 in 2008. The net wealth of those billionaires grew to $3.6 trillion from $2.4 trillion last year. The average billionaire is now worth $3.5 billion, up $500 million from last year. And the number of women on the list rose to 89 from 72 last year. (more)