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Philippine jobless rate hit 11% in January

The Philippine unemployment rate rose to 11 percent in January after economic growth slowed in the fourth quarter.

The jobless rate increased from 10.6 percent a year earlier and 10.1 percent in October. As of Jan. 31, 3.9 million of the country's 35.4 million labor force were out of work, the National Statistics Office said in Manila.

Rising unemployment may make it more difficult for President Gloria Arroyo to win a second term in May elections. She's neck-and- neck with actor Fernando Poe Jr., whose support is strongest among the country's poor, according to surveys of the country's two largest polling groups.

Record gold output boosts Peru's economy

Peru's $61 billion economy expanded in January for a 31st consecutive month, led by record gold output by Peru's mines and higher zinc production.

The economy grew 3.01 percent in January from the same month a year earlier, according to the National Statistics Institute. The expansion was in line with the 2.95 percent median average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News. Gross domestic product climbed 5.6 percent in the same month a year ago.

The Energy and Mines Ministry said earlier this month that gold production in Peru rose to an all-time monthly record of 17 metric tons as mines boosted production to take advantage of high gold prices.

Brazil retail sales see best jump in 3 years

Brazilian retail sales had their biggest rise in at least three years in January, as companies like electronics retailer Casas Bahia cut the cost of financing for customers, betting on a pick up in consumer demand.

The volume of retail, supermarkets and grocery store sales rose 6.09 percent from a year earlier after rising 3.2 percent in December, the government's statistics agency in Rio de Janeiro said. It is the biggest increase since the agency started the survey in January 2001.

A surge in retail sales signals Brazil's economy is recovering from a contraction last year, the first since 1992.

Danish government reveals economic plan

The Danish government last week presented a plan to create 22,500 new jobs over the next two years and stimulate economic growth.

Under the plan unveiled by Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, mandatory pension savings would be scaled back, and tax cuts that were to be phased in through 2007 would take effect this year.

The initiatives, which need approval in Denmark's 179-seat Parliament, would pump roughly 10 billion kroner ($1.6 billion) into the Danish economy and give middle and low-income families an extra 1,000 kroner ($167) a month, Fogh Rasmussen said.

China Mobile adds 3.1M cellular users

China Mobile (H.K.) Ltd., the world's largest mobile-phone service provider by subscribers, added 3.1 million subscribers last month, the company said on its Web site.

The company had 147.2 million subscribers at the end of February in the 21 Chinese provinces it serves. China is the world's largest wireless market with 277 million subscriptions at the end of January, according to the Ministry of Information Industry.

All China Mobile customers use its global system for mobile communications service, based on China's dominant wireless standard. Smaller rival China Unicom Ltd. provides a service that uses code division multiple access technology, developed by Qualcomm Inc., in addition to services based on GSM.