Economic and financial

indicators
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above
13,000 for the first time. Investors were buoyed by the
news that orders for durable goods grew by 3.4% in
March and by more than originally thought in February.
New orders for non-defence capital goods, excluding
aircraft, grew by 4.7%. This will ease worries, voiced by
the Federal Reserve, that “sluggish” business investment
might slow the economy.
• German businessmen are in confident mood. The Ifo
institute's business-climate index, based on a survey of
about 7,000 companies, rose to 108.6 in April, almost
regaining its December peak. The euro also neared its
strongest rate against the dollar of over $1.366, set in
December 2004.
• Sales of existing homes in America fell by 8.4% in
March, the biggest decline since the 1980s. The
National Association of Realtors blamed bad
weather. Sales of new homes, on the other hand,
rose by 2.6% last month.
• Britain's economy maintained a steady pace in the
first three months of 2007, growing by 0.7% for the
second quarter in a row. In the year to the first
quarter, GDP grew by 2.8%.
• South Korea's GDP grew by 4% in the year to the
first quarter.
• New Zealand pioneered many of the liberal reforms
the OECD prescribes for others. But despite the
economy's flexibility and resilience, the OECD is
worried by its external deficit and disappointed by its
“lacklustre” productivity growth.
 Gross domestic product(% change
on year ago)
Latest Previous 2007 2008(late
quarter st 3
months)
china +11.1 na +9.8 +9.7

Switzerland +2.2 +1.8 +2.0 +2.0

Pakistan +6.6 Na +6.6 +6.0

 Industrial production latest
Indonesia +23.1

china +17.6

Pakistan +6.8

Singapore -2.9
 Consumer prices
latest Year ago 2007

Venezuela +18.5 +12.1 +18.3

Israel -0.9 +3.6 +1.4

Pakistan +7.7 +6.9 +6.8

 Unemployment rate(%)
South Africa 25.5

Poland 14.4

Singapore 2.6

Pakistan na
 markets
Index One %change In $
April 25 week in local terms
currency

Egypt 64559.0 -1.8 +5.3 +5.8

Hermes)
China in 208.5 +3.7 +58.4 +60.2
terms$)
Pakistan 12166.0 -0.2 +21.2 +21.6
 Trade, exchange rate, budget
balances and interest rates
Trade balance ($ bn)

Germany +213.0

United states -825.2

Pakistan -13.4
 Current account balance
Latest 12 %GDP 2007
months($ bn)
japan +173.9 +4.1

United states -856.7 -6.1

pakistan -6.5 -5.4

 Currency units per $
April 25th Year ago

uk 0.50 0.56

Indonesia 9082 8800

Pakistan 60.7 60.0

 Budget balance % of GDP
(forecast) 2007
Norway 18.7

Saudi Arabia 13.7

Egypt -7.6

Pakistan -4.6
 Interest rate%
3 month latest 10 years gov’t
bonds latest
turkey 19.06 18.29

japan 0.57 1.65

pakistan 9.76 6.66

 Broadband subscribers
• The number of broadband subscriptions in OECD
economies rose from 157m, or 13.5 per 100 people, in
December 2005 to 197m, or 16.9 per 100 people, a year
later. Denmark and the Netherlands top the chart, with
more than 30 subscriptions per 100 people. In 2006
these two countries overtook South Korea, the leader for
several years, and Iceland. Operators in some countries
are upgrading connections to fibre, which now accounts
for 7% of the OECD total. South Korea boasts seven
fibre-using subscriptions per 100 people and Japan has
6.2. Both countries are seeing a decline in DSL,
commonly the leading access technology elsewhere.
Cable is the most common method in America and
Canada.