News Today - June 19

* The Bank of Japan's policymakers agreed at their May meeting that a fall in production was coming to a halt but that the threat of rising deflation needed close watching, according to meeting minutes released Friday.

* Continuing US jobless claims fell by 148,000 to 6.68 million during the week ended June 6, the lowest level in about a month. The four-week average of continuing claims rose, however, by 2,250 to 6.75 million.

* Financial markets have shown vast improvement since last fall and there are signs of stabilization in the British economy after a steep plunge in output, Bank of England Gov. Mervyn King said at an event in London's financial district.

* Indian firms have contributed $105 billion (Rs 5.25 lakh crore) to the US economy between 2004 and 2007 apart from creating 300,000 jobs, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma says.

* The Indian wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation went sub-zero for the first time in 35 years for the first week of June, but top policy makers and economists dismissed it as a short-term statistical phenomenon, with no real implications for either the country’s growth or its monetary policy.