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More than half of the public now want to leave the European Union, according to an opinion poll for The Independent – the first time our monthly survey has shown a majority for “Brexit.” The survey of 2,000 people by ORB, conducted last Wednesday and Thursday in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks, will be seen as a reflection of public anxiety about the EU’s migration crisis. Anti-EU politicians including Nigel Farage have sought to make a link between the influx of Middle...

In the spring of 2014, Mizuho Securities USA's chief economist Steven Ricchiuto planted his flag for the projected date of the Federal Reserve’s first post-crisis rate hike in mid-2016, further into the future than any of his peers. And he never budged. Virtually alone among major Wall Street house economists at the time, Ricchiuto was skeptical of the conventional wisdom that lift-off would happen by the end of 2015. He argued that even a modest rise in rates would slow an economy...

New orders for U.S. manufactured capital goods fell in November and the prior month's increase was revised sharply lower as the drag on manufacturing from a strong dollar and spending cuts in the energy sector showed little sign of abating. But the outlook for the economy remains encouraging, with other data on Wednesday showing consumer sentiment at a five-month high in December and personal income rising for an eighth straight month in November. That should support consumer spending and...

Federal Reserve officials signaled concern about stubbornly low inflation even as they indicated that an improving job market is bringing them closer to the first interest-rate increase in almost a decade. Participants in the July 28-29 Federal Open Market Committee meeting said economic conditions “were approaching that point” where the economy could sustain a slight increase in borrowing costs, according to minutes of the meeting released in Washington on Wednesday. Preserving...

Asian shares retreated to two-year lows on Wednesday after Chinese stocks extended their plunge, continuing to stoke fears about the stability of China's economy. With Chinese stocks steepening their decline, spreadbetters forecast a lower open from Britain's FTSE .FTSE, Germany's DAX .GDAXI and France's CAC .FCHI. The Shanghai Composite Index .SSEC retreated 2.8 percent, extending Tuesday's 6 percent slide, amid growing worries that the government could be scaling back its rescue...

Two months into China’s stock rout, the dynamics of the declines are becoming clearer: The wealthiest investors have been the quickest to bail out of the market. The number of traders with more than 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) of shares in their accounts shrank by 28 percent in July, even as those with less than 100,000 yuan rose by 8 percent, according to the nation’s clearing agency. While some of the drop is explained by falling market values, CLSA Ltd. says China’s rich have...

European finance chiefs said they were unlikely to strike a deal on the outlines of a third Greek bailout, threatening to delay the cash infusion Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras desperately needs. While a hardline group led by Germany resisted another rescue, the worst-case outcome was off the table for now. A Sunday meeting of the 28 European Union leaders was canceled; most of the procedures to push Greece out of the euro require their unanimity. A summit of the 19 euro-area leaders was...

'Cautious' Fed worries over Greece, sets framework for future hikes Jeff Cox | @JeffCoxCNBCcom Federal Reserve officials struck a notably dovish tone in their most recent discussions about monetary policy, while at the same time setting the groundwork for future rate hikes. Minutes released Wednesday from the June Fed Open Market Committee meeting reveal the thinking behind yet another delay in normalizing policy. Members agreed the economy was getting better yet felt unready to exit a...

REUTERS: LONDON | BY ALEX LAWLER Brent oil bounced back from a three-month low to around $57 a barrel on Wednesday after an industry report showed a larger-than-forecast drop in U.S. crude stocks and Iran nuclear talks failed to produce a deal. Oil had come under downward pressure as a plunge in China's stock market accelerated and the Greek debt crisis raised concern about fuel demand. Talks in Vienna between Iran and six world powers dragged on beyond a self-imposed deadline as...

China Stocks Plunge as State Support Fails to Revive Confidence By Bloomberg China’s benchmark stock index tumbled to a three-month low as another round of government support measures failed to allay concern that margin trades will keep unwinding at a record pace. The Shanghai Composite Index slid 5.9 percent to 3,507.19 at the close. With at least 1,331 companies halted on mainland exchanges and another 747 falling by the 10 percent daily limit, sellers were locked out of 72 percent...