CHINA

Gold edged down on Wednesday as investors shifted some of their money into firming equities, while a drop in ETF holdings could prompt more selling as bullion struggles to hold above $1,190 an ounce. Although purchases from jewelers offered some support, trading was thin ahead of euro zone bank stress test results this week, which some analysts say could soothe concerns about how European banks would cope with deterioration in the region's economy and financial markets.

Asian stocks rose on Wednesday as investors cheered Apple's strong earnings and on optimism that China may roll back policy tightening measures later this year, while the euro firmed ahead of euro zone's bank stress test results late in the week.

U.S. and Chinese officials kicked off new talks on Tuesday on a thorny trade issue at the center of Western government and industry concerns that China is becoming less open to foreign firms.

Honda Motor Co plans to launch a plug-in hybrid and battery electric model in 2012 as part of its strategy to push to the front of a race by global automakers to develop more fuel-efficient cars.

Oil rose on Tuesday, bouncing as U.S. stocks came off their early lows and ahead of weekly oil inventory reports expected to show crude supplies fell last week. U.S. crude for August delivery rose 61 cents to $77.15 a barrel by 11:57 a.m. EDT. The August U.S. crude contract expires on Tuesday. The more liquid September contract traded 57 cents higher at $77.47.

A Chinese worker at an affiliate of Foxconn Technology, which has suffered 10 suicides this year, died on Tuesday after falling from the sixth floor of a dormitory building in Guangdong Province, Xinhua news agency reported.

Oil was little changed on Tuesday, pressured by declines in European stock markets but supported by expectations that U.S. industry data due later in the day would show a fall in crude inventories. European .FTEU3 shares fell, dragged lower by weakness in bank stocks as investors braced for results from Goldman Sachs (GS.N) due before the opening of the U.S. stock market.

China is satisfied that U.S. Internet giant Google Inc is complying with Chinese laws after it tweaked the way it directs users to an unfiltered search page, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Emerging markets were in high demand in mid July, with bond fund inflows at a record, as investors chose dynamic developing economies over lagging advanced markets, EPFR Global said on Tuesday. Emerging market equity funds tracked by EPFR posted combined inflows of more than $3 billion for the week ended July 14, while emerging market bond funds took in $745 million, bringing their year-to-date inflows to an all-time high of $18.5 billion.

China on Tuesday denied a report that it had surpassed the United States last year to become the world's largest energy user.

Asia's top LCD makers are bracing for earnings to falter in the second half of the year as TV sales lose momentum on concerns that a debt crisis in Europe will crimp overall IT spending.

Oil climbed to $77 on Tuesday as forecasts for a fourth consecutive weekly drop in U.S. crude inventories bolstered the positive influence of rising stock markets in most of Asia. Shares of resource firms and banks clawed back some of their recent losses, helping to boost U.S. crude for August by 47 cents to $77.01 a barrel at 0644 GMT (2:44 a.m. EDT) for a second straight day of gains.

China sounded a gloomy note on Tuesday about its export prospects, warning in particular that belt-tightening by deeply indebted European Union governments would dampen demand for the country's goods.

A report by China's state-run television station accusing Baidu Inc of promoting counterfeit drugs through its Web search engine should not prove as damaging as a 2008 TV critique that triggered a 40 percent decline in Baidu's shares, analysts said on Monday.

Nokia Siemens Networks will buy Motorola's telecom network equipment business for $1.2 billion, in an effort to add mew customers in markets such as Japan and North America where it has been seeking growth.

General Motor's mini-vehicle venture in southern China unveiled its first car brand on Sunday as it aims at the fast-growing moderately priced segment of the car market.

U.S. Treasury debt prices slipped on Monday, but volume was scant and analysts said the day's market action would be driven mostly by the stock market. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which had fallen to 2.93 percent by Friday's close as stocks suffered their worst one-day drop since June, was trading at 2.95 percent, while its price was off by 6/32.

Oil jumped more than $1 on Monday, lifted above $77 per barrel by equities markets after U.S. stocks opened higher on Wall Street. The move, supported by early signs of improving oil demand, put oil on track to break three straight days of lower settlements on concerns about slowing economic recovery and gloomy consumer sentiment.

Oil prices slipped below $76 a barrel on Monday as investors weighed a sharp drop in U.S. consumer sentiment against early signs of improved oil demand. Analysts said oil prices were moving in a range around $75 per barrel with ample support due to large drawdowns in U.S. crude oil stocks over the past three weeks.

China's main state-run television station has accused the country's top internet search engine Baidu Inc of directing users to websites that sell counterfeit drugs, the People's Daily reported on Monday.

Oil prices fell below $76 a barrel on Monday, extending the previous session's decline, on concern about the U.S. economic outlook after data showed consumer sentiment fell to a near one-year low. News that the IMF and European Union has suspended a review of Hungary's funding program at the weekend has also ignited fresh eurozone jitters, as the country will not have access to remaining funds in its $25.1 billion loan package set up in 2008 until the review is concluded.