China's steel production rose 15% year on year in November after flat-lining in the first half of the year.

WSJ: Income-to-Housing Price Gap Narrows in China

At 4.30am on election day, an hour and a half ahead of opening time, voters were already lining up in front of voting stations.

ECONOMIST: The end of a political era

Punta del Este, an hour and a half from Montevideo, has condominiums and high rises lining the beaches that reach out into the water, with the Rio de la Plata on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other.

BBC: Living in: Uruguay

If there is any silver lining, it is that while the recession was a year old in December, its first half was not especially deep: net GDP actually rose in the first half, and the downturn is actually a bit milder than the median post-war recession after 12 months.

ECONOMIST: The economy

"The level of housing transaction is well under half the level it was back in 2007 and 2008, so, really we have seen a flat-lining period, " McGrath said.

CNN: SHARE THIS