Stocks Retreat in Asian, Euro Markets

Economic downturn could last a year

(NEWSER) - The financial crisis rippling through the global economy has claimed another casualty as Japan has slipped into its first recession in seven years, Reuters reports. Third quarter statistics reveal a 0.1% contraction in Japan's Gross Domestic Product. Japanese economists warn the nation could languish in recession for an entire year and that interest rates may be cut further. More»

Nikkei dives to 1982 levels, Hang Seng plummets 12%

(NEWSER) - Japanese stocks hit a 26-year low as markets in Asia and Europe plunged again amid tenacious fears of a prolonged global recession. The Nikkei fell 6.4% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dropped a staggering 12%—its biggest single-day tumble since 1997. In London the FTSE opened down more than 5% this morning, and the pound dropped another 6 cents against the dollar. More»

Its decade of decline shows the risks of inaction: Kristof

(NEWSER) - Watching the House vote down the bailout package this week, Nicholas Kristof recalled a bad memory: Japanese politicians doing the same thing during the financial crisis of the 1990s. The New York Times columnist, who was then based in Tokyo, watched as a desire to punish "corrupt, profligate, and unsympathetic" bankers ushered in a decade-long decline, from which Japan has still not fully recovered. More»

Columbus, Indiana, and Casper, Wyoming top employment list

(NEWSER) - Recession—that's a big-city thing, right? Several mid-size cities around the US are making an argument for their economic superiority, boasting job growth higher than the 1.5% national average in 2011. You may not know these cities well, but the Christian Science Monitor recommends them:

1. Columbus, Indiana: No, not Ohio's Columbus: Indiana's version had 10% growth from 2009 to 2010, making it the best economic rebounder during the Great Recession. Jobs are up 6.4%.

But most remain upbeat about their future: Pew survey

(NEWSER) - The economy is doing a number on those aged 18 to 34, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center :

• Half say they have taken a job they didn't want.
• More than a third have gone back to school because of the job market.
• Nearly a quarter have taken unpaid work to gain experience.
• About a quarter have moved back in with the folks.
• More than 1 in 5 have postponed having a baby, and about the same number have put off getting married.