CHINA

Japan's finance minister on Tuesday sidestepped questions about intervention to curb yen strength and said markets should determine exchange rates, prompting the currency to rise to an eight-month high against the dollar.

Gold rose in Europe on Tuesday as physical consumers like jewelers took advantage of lower prices to buy into the precious metal, and as China announced moves to allow greater freedom in its gold trade. Spot gold was bid at $1,183.65 an ounce at 0943 GMT, against $1,181.25 late in New York on Monday. U.S. gold futures for August delivery rose 40 cents to $1,185.80 an ounce.

A question-and-answer page on Google Hong Kong's website became inaccessible to some mainland Chinese users on Tuesday, underscoring Beijing's sensitivity about the Internet.

The United States said it was disappointed that the United Arab Emirates planned to cut off key BlackBerry services, noting that the Gulf nation was setting a dangerous precedent in limiting freedom of information.

U.S. manufacturing grew in July at its slowest pace this year as a stream of new orders tapered off, pointing to further slackening in the economic recovery.

U.S.-listed shares of Research in Motion fell 2.4 percent on Monday after the United Arab Emirates threatened to suspend services for its BlackBerry smartphone users due to security concerns.

Fears the U.S. recovery is faltering drove the dollar to a three-month low on Monday against a basket of currencies while strong European earnings pushed sterling to a six-month high against the greenback.

China's Geely on Monday completed its purchase of Ford Motor Co's Volvo unit, marking China's biggest acquisition of a foreign car maker and reflecting the nation's rapid rise in the auto world.

New car sales in Japan rose for the 11th straight month and South Korea's Hyundai Motor reported a double-digit rise in global sales in July, but a slowdown looked certain as government subsidies end and comparisons become difficult from the year before.

Hyundai Motor reported its weakest monthly sales in five months on Monday, as foreign sales slowed on easing demand growth from major markets such as China and the United States.

More than a million BlackBerry users may have key services in Saudi Arabia and the UAE cut off after authorities stepped up demands on smartphone maker Research In Motion for access to encrypted messages sent over the device.

Fear that the U.S. recovery is faltering drove the dollar to a three-month low against a basket of currencies on Monday and the euro broke above $1.3125, a key technical level, to hit its highest since May.

Gold prices climbed in Europe on Monday as the euro firmed to a three-month high against the dollar and prices of other commodities like crude oil jumped on the back of rising equity markets. Spot gold rose as high as $1,190.40 an ounce and was bid at $1,185.35 an ounce at 1343 GMT (9:43 a.m. EDT), against $1,181.50 late in New York on Friday. U.S. gold futures for August delivery rose $4.10 to $1,188.00.

Chinese auto parts makers are moving into the overseas M&A fast lane, eyeing a distressed global market to close a technology gap with world leaders to meet sizzling demand at home and eventually sell overseas.

China's Geely on Monday completed its purchase of Ford Motor Co's Volvo unit, marking China's biggest acquisition of a foreign car maker and reflecting the nation's rapid rise in the auto world.

Manufacturing in China shrank in July for the first time since March 2009 while it perked up in the euro zone, according to surveys that underscored the unevenness of the global economic recovery.

Wall Street was poised to open about 1 percent higher on Monday, building on last month's solid gains as investors focused on encouraging corporate results, including strong bank earnings out of Europe.

Gold prices slipped below $1,180 an ounce in Europe on Monday knocked by a dearth of haven buying as confidence in the financial markets improved, though some emergent physical demand limited losses. Spot gold was bid at $1,177.65 an ounce at 6:21 a.m. ET, against $1,181.50 late in New York on Friday. U.S. gold futures for August delivery fell $4.00 to $1,179.90.

A broad fall in the dollar has propelled the yen higher, bringing the Japanese currency within range of levels it has not traded at for 15 years and raising speculation whether even more gains will tempt Japanese authorities to intervene.

Stock index futures were sharply higher on Monday, building on last month's solid gains, as investors focused on encouraging corporate results.

The dollar index hit a three-month low on Monday, hurt by worries that the U.S. economy's recovery is losing steam, while the high-yielding Australian dollar reached a three-month high, buoyed by a rise in equities.