BUSINESS

Asian stock markets were mostly advanced Monday but investors are cautious ahead of heavy data week and the U.S. earnings.

The Japanese yen hit the lowest level against the U.S. dollar in the last 30 months Monday amid reports that policymakers in Japan were under pressure to further loosen the monetary policy to revive the economy.

Chevrolet presented its newly redesigned Corvette Sunday night on the eve of the 2013 North American International Auto Show.

The first newly redesigned Corvette in nine years was exhibited on the eve of the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Asian stock markets mostly ended lower last week as sentiment was weighed down by the report that China’s inflation rate accelerated to a seven-month high in December, denting hopes of further stimulus measures to boost the ongoing recovery in the world’s second largest economy.

Audi, BMW, and Volkswagen all broke sales records last year, thanks largely to Chinese and American consumers.

U.S. drivers are entering an era of cheaper gasoline, thanks to a host of factors, including the expansion of the Seaway pipeline.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security advised computer users to temporarily disable or uninstall Oracle Corp.'s (NASDAQ:ORCL) Java software, stating that a serious flaw in the software could make the system vulnerable to hacking.

Asian markets fell as investor confidence was weighed down by the report that inflationary pressures continued to increase in China

The top after-market NYSE gainers Friday were Nordic American Tankers, Five Star Quality Care, AbbVie Inc, MetroPCS Communications and Radioshack Corp. The top after-market NYSE losers were Youku Tudou, Talisman Energy, Navistar International, General Cable and Qihoo 360 Technology.

The top after-market NASDAQ gainers Friday were Landec Corporation, Westport Innovations Inc, QuickLogic Corporation and Immunomedics Inc. The top after-market NASDAQ losers Friday were James River Coal Company, IPG Photonics Corporation, ModusLink Global Solutions Inc, NutriSystem Inc and Cybex International Inc.

Market participants this week will begin to close the books on 2012 and get their first glimpse of global economic activity in 2013.

French troops are already in Mali, where an Islamist insurgency is becoming a serious threat to West Africa and the world.

There are 52 Starbucks locations in France, with 39 in Paris itself. To say that some Parisians are not impressed would be an understatement.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is ordering all newly built residences to install fiber optic connections in any city or county where the networks are available.

U.S. consumers snapped up cell phones and foreign cars in November to widen the economy's trade deficit - a stat that could weigh on Q4 GDP.

Best Buy saw negative growth in sales over the recently ended holiday sales season, but the bleeding was less than expected.

A rumored anti-satellite missile test in China this month could threaten several US satellites in orbit.

India's trade deficit narrowed to $17.7 billion in December from $19.3 billion in November, even as the exports fell and imports rose, according to the data released by the Ministry of Commerce Friday.

Infosys Ltd, Ford Motor, Barclays, AFLAC Inc, BHP Billiton, Advanced Micro Devices, Yum! Brands and BP plc are among the companies whose shares are moving in the pre-market trading Friday.

The financials sector is expected to have led all sectors in earnings growth during the fourth quarter of last year.

India's industrial output in November unexpectedly dropped by 0.1 percent to 8.2 percent from the revised growth rate of 8.3 percent recorded in October, the official data released Thursday showed. A Reuters poll of analysts had predicted 0.7 percent growth rate.

The U.S. stock index futures point to a flat open Friday ahead of the Department of Labor's import price index and the Bureau of Economic Analysis's trade deficit report.

Infosys Technologies Ltd (NYSE:INFY), India's second largest software services firm, reported Friday a better-than-expected net income after tax of $434 million for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2012 against $431 million for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2012.

Asian stock markets mostly declined Friday after data showed that Chinese inflation jumped to a seven-month high in December while Japanese Nikkei surged on weaker yen.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Thursday were Dole Food, InvenSense, Heckmann, Vanguard Natural Resources and BHP Billiton plc. The top after-market NYSE losers were Frontline, KBR, Tilly's, Colony Financial and Seadrill Partners.

China’s inflation rate accelerated in December faster than expected, an indication that the country’s inflationary pressures continue to increase, lowering prospects for further loosening of the country's monetary policy.

Asian shares rose Friday amid an improving outlook for global economies and reduced anxiety over the euro zone, while the yen slid on renewed expectations for aggressive monetary easing in Japan.

The first puck will reportedly drop on Jan. 19.