Bartering Turns Into $10B Recession-Buster

(NEWSER) - Around the world, websites that enable users to trade goods and services for the same are thriving in the down economy, the Washington Post reports. Craigslist, for instance, says bartering on the site has doubled in the past year. One Washington man got a plumber in exchange for a ride on his boat. "It's hot right now," said the head of one bartering association in Virginia. More»

Even long-distance travelers avoiding hotel stays

(NEWSER) - As businesses cut costs, more employees are traveling—even overseas—without staying overnight. “I'm not sure everybody has the stamina to get up at 4 AM for a 6 AM flight and get home at 9," said one traveler—who totaled 100,000 miles last year but only stayed in hotels half of that time. "But as we try to do more with less, that's what's required." More»

How one country ducked the economic downturn

(NEWSER) - Australia has weathered the financial crisis better than any other developed country. Last week its central bank raised interest rates, indicating its primary concern is now inflation, not growth. What were the keys? Phil Dobbie of BNET explains:

• Befriending China: Australia used to export much of what it made to the US and UK, but over the last decade much of that trade has shifted to China. In fact, some economists argue that Australia didn’t need a stimulus package—Beijing’s stimulus was enough.

World economy is growing, but recovery will be slow

(NEWSER) - The global recession is over, the International Monetary Fund said today, revising its economic forecasts in response to Asian growth and more than $2 trillion in stimulus packages worldwide. The IMF now says the world economy is growing and will expand by 3.1% in 2010, with China growing at a 9% clip and the US at 1.5%. Nevertheless, the institution warned that growth will be "sluggish, credit-constrained and, for quite some time, jobless." More»

US production grows for first time since Jan. '08

(NEWSER) - The world may be manufacturing its way out of the global recession, with new figures showing a faster-than-expected recovery from the US to Europe and Asia. The Wall Street Journal reports that American factory output is growing for the first time since January 2008, while separate surveys showed expanded manufacturing activity in China, France, and Australia. But not all the figures are so rosy; economists estimate that US unemployment climbed one-tenth of a percent to 9.5% last month. More»