CHINA

Hyundai Motor Co, South Korea's top automaker, aims to sell about 17 percent more cars in India this year as the fast-growing south Asian country boosts consumer spending, a top official said on Friday.

Apple Inc is in talks to buy Chinese software maker Handseeing, an executive at the Chinese company said on Friday, a deal that would mark the iPhone maker's first acquisition in the country.

India and China, the power engines of the East, are now the force behind the rising gold demand. If Chinese and Indian customers stop buying the yellow metal, the bullion market will collapse within days. So much is the power of rising middle class in China and India that they are rising in both number and percentage terms dramatically, as these nations are developing on every front.

Gold prices advanced towards its biggest weekly gains in two months as traders await a key US data for more clues. Gold for immediate delivery was seen trading at $ 1195.43 an ounce at 12.00 noon Singapore time while U.S. gold futures for December delivery was at $1198 an ounce. on the comex division of Nymex

Crude oil prices were steady on Friday near $82 before a report expected to show U.S. employment declined for a second straight month in July, as investors watch for clues to the pace of economic and energy demand recovery.

In a world of monster fiscal deficits, Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has a luxury problem: The strong economy is pushing up his currency.

Germany's luxury carmaker BMW expects its China car sales to rise more than 30 percent this year, boosted by the country's robust economic growth

India's Mahindra & Mahindra is planning bid up to $400 million for troubled South Korean automaker Ssangyong Motor, sources said, as it seeks to become a major global utility vehicles maker.

China's banking regulator has ordered lenders to test the impact of a fall in house prices of up to 50 percent in key cities where prices have risen sharply, banking and regulatory sources said on Thursday.

Slowly China is turning into a Gold's own country. Till now India boasted of its unchallenged gold power with the farmers and most of the 1 billion people buying the yellow metal on any religious or special occasions.

Gold held steady on Thursday after drop in prices from a 2-week high spurred light buying from jewelers in Asia, but firm stock markets were likely to weigh while holdings on the ETF fell slightly. Investors await the release of more data from the United States, particularly the payrolls report, which will offer clues on the health of the economy. Friday's government report on jobs may show a drop of 65,000 in July as census jobs dried up.

Oil fell for a second day on Thursday, approaching $82, as dollar strength kept a lid on prices, neutralizing the effect of upbeat U.S. employment data and a drop in the nation's crude inventories last week.

World stocks eked out small gains with European shares staying flat on Thursday as investors eyed meetings of the European Central Bank and Bank of England later in the session and Friday's U.S. jobs data loomed large.

Gold prices edged up in Asian trade Thursday but holdings on the ETF fell marginally. Gold for immediate delivery was seen trading at $1194.77 an ounce at 12.00 noon Singapore time while U.S. gold futures for December delivery was at $1,196.5 an ounce on the comex division of Nymex.

Japanese Trade Minister Masayuki Naoshima said on Thursday that he was worried about a recent rise in the yen as Japanese companies are facing currency risks.

Gold held steady on bargain hunting on Thursday after prices slipped below $1,200 an ounce but firm stock markets were likely to weigh, and holdings on the ETF fell slightly. Investors await the release of more data from the United States, particularly the payrolls report, which will offer clues on the health of the economy. Friday's government report on jobs may show a drop of 65,000 in July as census jobs dried up.

Oil fell for a second day on Thursday, approaching $82, as dollar strength kept a lid on prices, neutralizing the effect of upbeat U.S. employment data and a drop in the nation's crude inventories last week. At the same time, U.S. stockpiles of gasoline and distillate fuels, including diesel, extended a string of gains, contributing to a mixed perception about the outlook for oil demand from the world's top consuming nation for the rest of the year.

Gold rose above $1,200 an ounce in Europe on Wednesday as a swell of fund buying put the price on track for its sixth successive daily gain. A soft performance on the global equity market and expectations for a rise in Chinese demand were early drivers to the day's rally, although U.S. private sector jobs data pushed up the dollar and diffused some of gold's safe-haven appeal.

The Chinese government will invest more than 100 billion yuan ($14.8 billion) to subsidize its fledgling environmentally friendly car industry over the next 10 years.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett, often dubbed the Oracle of Omaha, has seen the future of fashion in the most unlikely of places, bearing a Made in China label better known for its cheap than chic.

Slowly China is beating India in gold business and the Dragon land is making considerable progress in the yellow metal trade. As part of its strategy to expand the gold business, China has allowed more banks to import and export gold.