Latest news with #GavinJones
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Italy Unemployment Rate: Italy April unemployment falls to 5.9%, with firm job growth in last 3 months, ETHRWorld
Advt Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals Subscribe to our newsletter to get latest insights & analysis. Download ETHRWorld App Get Realtime updates Save your favourite articles Scan to download App ROME: Italy's jobless rate fell to 5.9% in April from 6.1% in March, national statistics bureau ISTAT reported on Tuesday, with a stable number of people employed during the month and an increase in those leaving the labour market.A Reuters survey of seven analysts had forecast an April jobless rate of 6.1%.The youth unemployment rate, measuring job-seekers between 15 and 24 years old, fell to 19.2% in April from 20.4% in March, revised from an originally reported 19.0%.In the February-to-April period, total employment in the euro zone's third largest economy was up by 96,000, or 0.4%, compared with the previous three months, ISTAT April, the number of people in work was up by 282,000 or 1.2%, compared with April positively, in April the number of so-called "inactive" people neither working nor looking for work, increased by 39,000, or 0.3% from the month before, with the inactivity rate rising marginally to 33.2%.The employment rate, one of the lowest in the euro zone, slipped marginally to 62.7% from 62.8% the month long-running increase in employment has come against a backdrop of a near-stagnant economy and stagnant gross domestic product grew by just 0.7% in each of the last two years, and the government forecasts 0.6% growth this year.(Reporting by Antonella Cinelli, editing by Gavin Jones)
Mint
21-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Italians and lo spread, an obsession whose time has passed
Italian BTP-Bund spread near 4-year low Italians fixated with yield gap since 2011 debt crisis Analysts say economic changes have reduced its relevance Reasons for spread fluctuations often external to Italy By Stefano Bernabei and Gavin Jones ROME, May 21 (Reuters) - A previously unused English word crept into the Italian language during the euro zone debt crisis of 2011 as the country's borrowing costs soared to unsustainable levels. Ever since then "lo spread", or the gap between the yield on Italian benchmark bonds and their German equivalents, has been brandished by politicians and the media alike as a symbol of national pride or shame, much like a sporting victory or defeat. After the BTP-Bund gap took a rare dip below one percentage point, or 100 basis points (bps), Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told parliament last week "this means Italy's government bonds are considered safer than German ones." Her economy minister, aware the narrower spread in fact meant merely that Italian bonds were considered comparatively less unsafe than before, smiled and shook his head beside her. Fourteen years ago the attention on the spread was justified. Germany's economy was the European powerhouse and the surge in Italian yields meant Rome had to pay huge sums to service its debt and risked losing market access altogether. Times have changed, however, and many economists say that with German benchmark bond yields rising due to a planned spending splurge on defence and infrastructure, Italians' fixation with the BTP-Bund spread now makes far less sense. "What matters for us is the level of interest rates, not the spread with Germany," said economist Tito Boeri, a former head of Italy's state pensions agency. "If German yields rise that doesn't help Italy's public accounts." Rome spends some 90 billion euros ($101 billion) per year, or 4% of gross domestic product to service its 3 trillion euro public debt. With the yield on 10-year BTPs still above 3.5%, that implies a heavy burden on state coffers regardless of the narrow spread with Germany. At around 135% of GDP, Italy's debt is proportionally the second-largest in the euro zone after Greece's, and it is forecast by the government to rise through 2026. Analysts say Meloni's unambitious but relatively prudent economic policies have reassured markets, but the recent narrowing of the spread is mainly down to developments in Germany and the United States. Economist Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, a former European Central Bank board member, said investors' waning appetite for U.S. Treasuries had benefited European bonds and particularly high-yielding paper such as Italy's. "If I consider Europe as a safer bet, partly because I expect the dollar to fall, I'm going to invest in European bonds, especially those that offer higher returns," he said. Italian bond yields are still the highest of any euro zone country, reflecting the risk-premium demanded by investors, and Boeri warned that market volatility linked to U.S. economic policy meant Rome had no reason for complacency. Italy's 10-year yield of around 3.6% compares with 3.2% on equivalent Spanish bonds and 3.4% on Greek ones. "We need to be very, very careful because what is happening on international government bond markets shows us the slightest mistake (in economic policy) can be costly," he said. Italy could come unstuck even without a mistake. Spread fluctuations very often reflect "risk-on" or "risk-off" market sentiment driven by international events, not Italian ones. The BTP-Bund gap widened briefly but sharply, for example, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced swingeing trade tariffs on April 2, only to suspend many of them a week later. "The spread widens when we see a flight to safety because Italy is not considered 'safety'," said Roberto Perotti, economics professor at Milan's Bocconi university. A glance at the past shows the BTP-Bund spread has dipped below 100 bps under several Italian governments, sometimes surging shortly afterwards due to factors outside their control. For much of 2009 the spread hovered between 80 and 100 bps under Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, before widening out to a peak of more than 570 bps in 2011 during the euro zone debt crisis, despite Rome following a broadly stable fiscal policy. In 2021, under former ECB President Mario Draghi, it again narrowed to less than 100 bps only to widen to 250 the following year amid surging global inflation after the COVID-19 pandemic. Perotti said it was understandable that Meloni should point to the narrow spread as a political success. But with Germany no longer seen as a pillar of fiscal restraint and stability, its value as an indicator had diminished. "At the moment it doesn't have much meaning," he said. ($1 = 0.8890 euros) (Reporting by Stefano Bernabei and Gavin Jones; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Analysis-Italians and 'lo spread', an obsession whose time has passed
By Stefano Bernabei and Gavin Jones ROME (Reuters) -A previously unused English word crept into the Italian language during the euro zone debt crisis of 2011 as the country's borrowing costs soared to unsustainable levels. Ever since then "lo spread", or the gap between the yield on Italian benchmark bonds and their German equivalents, has been brandished by politicians and the media alike as a symbol of national pride or shame, much like a sporting victory or defeat. After the BTP-Bund gap took a rare dip below one percentage point, or 100 basis points (bps), Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told parliament last week "this means Italy's government bonds are considered safer than German ones." Her economy minister, aware the narrower spread in fact meant merely that Italian bonds were considered comparatively less unsafe than before, smiled and shook his head beside her. Fourteen years ago the attention on the spread was justified. Germany's economy was the European powerhouse and the surge in Italian yields meant Rome had to pay huge sums to service its debt and risked losing market access altogether. Times have changed, however, and many economists say that with German benchmark bond yields rising due to a planned spending splurge on defence and infrastructure, Italians' fixation with the BTP-Bund spread now makes far less sense. "What matters for us is the level of interest rates, not the spread with Germany," said economist Tito Boeri, a former head of Italy's state pensions agency. "If German yields rise that doesn't help Italy's public accounts." INTEREST BURDEN Rome spends some 90 billion euros ($101 billion) per year, or 4% of gross domestic product to service its 3 trillion euro public debt. With the yield on 10-year BTPs still above 3.5%, that implies a heavy burden on state coffers regardless of the narrow spread with Germany. At around 135% of GDP, Italy's debt is proportionally the second-largest in the euro zone after Greece's, and it is forecast by the government to rise through 2026. Analysts say Meloni's unambitious but relatively prudent economic policies have reassured markets, but the recent narrowing of the spread is mainly down to developments in Germany and the United States. Economist Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, a former European Central Bank board member, said investors' waning appetite for U.S. Treasuries had benefited European bonds and particularly high-yielding paper such as Italy's. "If I consider Europe as a safer bet, partly because I expect the dollar to fall, I'm going to invest in European bonds, especially those that offer higher returns," he said. Italian bond yields are still the highest of any euro zone country, reflecting the risk-premium demanded by investors, and Boeri warned that market volatility linked to U.S. economic policy meant Rome had no reason for complacency. Italy's 10-year yield of around 3.6% compares with 3.2% on equivalent Spanish bonds and 3.4% on Greek ones. "We need to be very, very careful because what is happening on international government bond markets shows us the slightest mistake (in economic policy) can be costly," he said. FLIGHT TO SAFETY Italy could come unstuck even without a mistake. Spread fluctuations very often reflect "risk-on" or "risk-off" market sentiment driven by international events, not Italian ones. The BTP-Bund gap widened briefly but sharply, for example, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced swingeing trade tariffs on April 2, only to suspend many of them a week later. "The spread widens when we see a flight to safety because Italy is not considered 'safety'," said Roberto Perotti, economics professor at Milan's Bocconi university. A glance at the past shows the BTP-Bund spread has dipped below 100 bps under several Italian governments, sometimes surging shortly afterwards due to factors outside their control. For much of 2009 the spread hovered between 80 and 100 bps under Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, before widening out to a peak of more than 570 bps in 2011 during the euro zone debt crisis, despite Rome following a broadly stable fiscal policy. In 2021, under former ECB President Mario Draghi, it again narrowed to less than 100 bps only to widen to 250 the following year amid surging global inflation after the COVID-19 pandemic. Perotti said it was understandable that Meloni should point to the narrow spread as a political success. But with Germany no longer seen as a pillar of fiscal restraint and stability, its value as an indicator had diminished. "At the moment it doesn't have much meaning," he said. ($1 = 0.8890 euros) Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Analysis-Italians and 'lo spread', an obsession whose time has passed
By Stefano Bernabei and Gavin Jones ROME (Reuters) -A previously unused English word crept into the Italian language during the euro zone debt crisis of 2011 as the country's borrowing costs soared to unsustainable levels. Ever since then "lo spread", or the gap between the yield on Italian benchmark bonds and their German equivalents, has been brandished by politicians and the media alike as a symbol of national pride or shame, much like a sporting victory or defeat. After the BTP-Bund gap took a rare dip below one percentage point, or 100 basis points (bps), Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told parliament last week "this means Italy's government bonds are considered safer than German ones." Her economy minister, aware the narrower spread in fact meant merely that Italian bonds were considered comparatively less unsafe than before, smiled and shook his head beside her. Fourteen years ago the attention on the spread was justified. Germany's economy was the European powerhouse and the surge in Italian yields meant Rome had to pay huge sums to service its debt and risked losing market access altogether. Times have changed, however, and many economists say that with German benchmark bond yields rising due to a planned spending splurge on defence and infrastructure, Italians' fixation with the BTP-Bund spread now makes far less sense. "What matters for us is the level of interest rates, not the spread with Germany," said economist Tito Boeri, a former head of Italy's state pensions agency. "If German yields rise that doesn't help Italy's public accounts." INTEREST BURDEN Rome spends some 90 billion euros ($101 billion) per year, or 4% of gross domestic product to service its 3 trillion euro public debt. With the yield on 10-year BTPs still above 3.5%, that implies a heavy burden on state coffers regardless of the narrow spread with Germany. At around 135% of GDP, Italy's debt is proportionally the second-largest in the euro zone after Greece's, and it is forecast by the government to rise through 2026. Analysts say Meloni's unambitious but relatively prudent economic policies have reassured markets, but the recent narrowing of the spread is mainly down to developments in Germany and the United States. Economist Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, a former European Central Bank board member, said investors' waning appetite for U.S. Treasuries had benefited European bonds and particularly high-yielding paper such as Italy's. "If I consider Europe as a safer bet, partly because I expect the dollar to fall, I'm going to invest in European bonds, especially those that offer higher returns," he said. Italian bond yields are still the highest of any euro zone country, reflecting the risk-premium demanded by investors, and Boeri warned that market volatility linked to U.S. economic policy meant Rome had no reason for complacency. Italy's 10-year yield of around 3.6% compares with 3.2% on equivalent Spanish bonds and 3.4% on Greek ones. "We need to be very, very careful because what is happening on international government bond markets shows us the slightest mistake (in economic policy) can be costly," he said. FLIGHT TO SAFETY Italy could come unstuck even without a mistake. Spread fluctuations very often reflect "risk-on" or "risk-off" market sentiment driven by international events, not Italian ones. The BTP-Bund gap widened briefly but sharply, for example, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced swingeing trade tariffs on April 2, only to suspend many of them a week later. "The spread widens when we see a flight to safety because Italy is not considered 'safety'," said Roberto Perotti, economics professor at Milan's Bocconi university. A glance at the past shows the BTP-Bund spread has dipped below 100 bps under several Italian governments, sometimes surging shortly afterwards due to factors outside their control. For much of 2009 the spread hovered between 80 and 100 bps under Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, before widening out to a peak of more than 570 bps in 2011 during the euro zone debt crisis, despite Rome following a broadly stable fiscal policy. In 2021, under former ECB President Mario Draghi, it again narrowed to less than 100 bps only to widen to 250 the following year amid surging global inflation after the COVID-19 pandemic. Perotti said it was understandable that Meloni should point to the narrow spread as a political success. But with Germany no longer seen as a pillar of fiscal restraint and stability, its value as an indicator had diminished. "At the moment it doesn't have much meaning," he said. ($1 = 0.8890 euros)
Geeky Gadgets
19-05-2025
- Geeky Gadgets
Microsoft Loop Review : The Future of Team Collaboration or a Flop?
Is Microsoft Loop the missing piece in your Teams collaboration puzzle, or just another tool fighting for relevance? With its promise of modular, real-time updates and seamless integration into Microsoft Teams, Loop aims to simplify workflows and centralize teamwork. But bold ambitions don't always translate into practical solutions. Early adopters have found themselves navigating a platform that, while innovative, falls short in critical areas like flexibility and performance. For teams juggling multiple projects or relying on fast, reliable tools, these limitations can be more than just minor inconveniences—they can disrupt productivity. So, is Loop ready to replace your go-to collaboration tools, or is it still a work in progress? Gavin Jones explores whether Microsoft Loop lives up to its potential as a innovative addition to the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. You'll discover how its integration with Teams works, where it shines, and—just as importantly—where it stumbles. From its inability to share workspaces across channels to performance lags that slow down high-demand environments, Loop's current state raises important questions about its viability for modern teams. Whether you're curious about its unique features or skeptical of its limitations, this analysis will help you decide if Loop is worth adopting—or if it's better to wait for Microsoft to iron out the wrinkles. Sometimes, the tools meant to streamline collaboration can leave us wondering if simplicity comes at too high a cost. Microsoft Loop Integration Overview How Microsoft Loop Functions Within Teams Microsoft Loop enables users to embed workspaces directly into Teams channels, providing a centralized platform for collaboration without requiring users to switch between multiple apps. When a Loop workspace is added to a channel, it automatically inherits the channel's permissions, granting all team members access without the need for manual invitations. This feature reduces administrative overhead and simplifies the onboarding process for new team members. However, the integration is not without its drawbacks. A key limitation is that only one Loop workspace can be added per channel. For teams managing multiple projects or initiatives within the same channel, this restriction can create inefficiencies. It often forces users to create additional channels or workspaces, which can complicate workflows and fragment communication. Core Functional Limitations Despite its integration with Teams, Microsoft Loop's functionality remains limited in several critical areas. These limitations can disrupt workflows, particularly for teams handling complex or overlapping projects. Key issues include: Workspaces cannot be shared across multiple Teams channels, restricting cross-channel collaboration and limiting flexibility. There is no ability to move workspaces between channels, which can be inconvenient when team structures or project scopes evolve. The absence of a centralized dashboard makes it difficult to manage or navigate multiple workspaces efficiently, especially for teams juggling numerous projects. These constraints highlight the need for greater adaptability and usability to meet the demands of modern collaborative environments. Microsoft Loop is it Worth Using in Teams Yet? Watch this video on YouTube. Gain further expertise in Microsoft Loop integration by checking out these recommendations. Performance Concerns Performance is another area where Microsoft Loop struggles to meet expectations. Compared to the standalone Loop web app, the Teams integration often feels slower and less responsive. Navigating between components and pages can be sluggish, particularly when working on larger projects with multiple elements. For teams that rely on quick access to information and seamless collaboration, this lag can be a significant obstacle. The performance issues are especially noticeable in high-demand environments where speed and reliability are critical. Addressing these concerns will be essential for Loop to gain broader acceptance as a reliable collaboration tool. Comparing Loop to Other Microsoft Tools When compared to other Microsoft 365 tools like OneNote and SharePoint, Microsoft Loop falls short in several areas. Each of these tools offers distinct advantages that Loop currently lacks: OneNote: Known for its robust organizational features, OneNote excels at capturing and sharing information across teams. Its intuitive structure and ease of use make it a preferred choice for many organizations. Known for its robust organizational features, OneNote excels at capturing and sharing information across teams. Its intuitive structure and ease of use make it a preferred choice for many organizations. SharePoint: Designed for large-scale collaboration, SharePoint offers advanced document management, seamless integration with other Microsoft tools, and the ability to handle complex workflows. In contrast, Loop's limited functionality and lack of advanced features make it less versatile. Its inability to seamlessly navigate across channels or integrate deeply with existing team structures further diminishes its appeal as a primary collaboration tool. Potential Use Cases and Adoption Challenges Despite its limitations, Microsoft Loop has potential in specific scenarios. Its component-based approach to collaboration could appeal to teams that prioritize modular, real-time updates. For instance, it may serve as an alternative to tools like Notion for organizations already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem. However, scalability remains a significant concern. It is unclear how well Loop can handle large numbers of pages or components, particularly in high-demand environments. Additionally, limited user familiarity with Loop poses a barrier to adoption. Organizations may hesitate to invest time and resources into training for a tool that is still evolving and lacks widespread recognition. Key Areas for Improvement For Microsoft Loop to become a viable and competitive collaboration tool, several critical improvements are necessary. Addressing these areas would enhance its usability and position it as a more effective alternative to established tools: Flexibility: Enable cross-channel integration and allow workspaces to be shared or moved between channels to accommodate evolving team structures and project needs. Enable cross-channel integration and allow workspaces to be shared or moved between channels to accommodate evolving team structures and project needs. Performance: Optimize the Teams integration to match the speed and responsiveness of the standalone Loop app, making sure a smoother user experience. Optimize the Teams integration to match the speed and responsiveness of the standalone Loop app, making sure a smoother user experience. Usability: Introduce a centralized dashboard for managing multiple workspaces, making it easier for teams to maintain an overview of ongoing projects and streamline navigation. These enhancements would not only improve the overall user experience but also make Loop a more compelling option for organizations seeking a unified collaboration platform. Future Outlook for Microsoft Loop Microsoft Loop's integration with Teams represents a step forward in unifying collaboration tools within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. However, its current limitations in functionality, performance, and usability prevent it from being a primary collaboration tool for most organizations. Established options like OneNote and SharePoint continue to offer more reliable and feature-rich solutions. To unlock its full potential, Microsoft Loop must address its shortcomings and evolve to meet the demands of modern teamwork. By focusing on flexibility, performance, and usability, Loop could become a valuable addition to the Microsoft 365 suite, offering a unique approach to modular, real-time collaboration. Until then, its role will likely remain supplementary, serving niche use cases rather than acting as a central pillar of collaboration. Media Credit: Gavin Jones – MeeTime Filed Under: Reviews, Top News Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
