BERLIN—German exports increased for the third consecutive month in December, capping a year in which they rose 14 percent compared with 2020, official figures showed Wednesday. The Federal Statistical Office said that exports from Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, were up 0.9 percent in December compared with the previous month. That followed gains of 1.8 percent…

TOKYO—Japan’s jobless rate fell to 2.7 percent in December as employment posted the biggest monthly gain in nearly 36 years, government data showed on Tuesday. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in December was lower than the 2.8 percent in the previous month, which was also the median forecast in a Reuters poll of economists. The…

WASHINGTON—U.S. construction spending increased less than expected in December as a solid rise in private projects was partially offset by a sharp decline in outlays on public projects. The Commerce Department said on Tuesday that construction spending rose 0.2 percent after advancing 0.6 percent in November. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast construction spending gaining…

BRUSSELS—Eurozone unemployment fell to its lowest level on record in December, data showed on Tuesday, testament to the strength of the economic recovery and the effectiveness of part-time work schemes used to preserve jobs during pandemic lockdowns. The European Union’s statistics office Eurostat said the unemployment rate in the 19 countries sharing the euro fell…

WASHINGTON—Contracts to buy U.S. previously owned homes fell for a second straight month in December amid record low inventory. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said on Thursday its Pending Home Sales Index, based on signed contracts, dropped 3.8 percent last month to 117.7. Pending home sales fell in all four regions. Economists polled by…

BERLIN—German producer prices rose 24.2 percent year on the year in December, with the record annual jump driven by higher energy prices, official data showed on Thursday. The jump from the previous December was the largest year-on-year increase for any month since the Federal Statistics Office began compiling the producer price numbers in 1949, the…

TOKYO—Japan’s exports and imports in December hit record highs in terms of their value in yen, data showed on Thursday, as supply bottlenecks eased at the end of 2021 amid rising prices. However, a persistent semiconductor shortage remained a headache for Japanese firms such as automaker Toyota, which slashed its near-term output target this week,…

BERLIN—Coronavirus restrictions in hospitality and retail pushed up the number of German employees put on reduced working hours in job protection schemes in December, the Ifo economic institute said on Wednesday. The number of workers on short-time work schemes, also known as Kurzarbeit, rose by nearly a quarter to 879,000 from 712,000 in November, Ifo…

TOKYO—Japan’s wholesale inflation in December is expected to remain near a recent peak as companies hike prices to offset rising raw material costs, a Reuters poll showed on Friday. The corporate goods price index (CGPI), a gauge of the prices companies charge each other for their goods, in December likely rose 8.8 percent from a…

STOCKHOLM—Volvo Car Group’s sales fell 18.1 percent in December pressured by the lingering global component shortage, the Sweden-based automaker said on Wednesday. Volvo, which has been heavily impacted by sector-wide supply-chain constraints and semiconductor shortages, warned in November that the chip shortage would continue into 2022. Global sales at the firm fell to 64,436 cars…