CHINA

World's largest gold producer, China witnessed record surge in gold trading during the first half of this year. According to Shanghai Gold Exchange, domestic investors' gold frenzy pushed trading volume of the yellow metal to an historic high in the first half of the year, with gold imports also surging to a record.

Gold prices extended gains in Asian trade Thursday mainly on increased physical buying, a firmer euro against the dollar and also on rising stocks. Gold for immediate delivery was seen trading at $ 1204.48 an ounce at 12.00 noon Singapore time after dropped as low as $1185 on Wednesday.

The euro pushed to a two-month high against the dollar on Thursday as short-covering kicked in after strong Australian jobs data sent the Aussie dollar up and helped gains in other currencies against the greenback and yen.

Obama administration will keep tax rates at levels that benefit job-creating businesses and limit taxes on capital gains and dividends, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday.

Google's application to renew its webpage license in China is currently under review with no set deadline, a government official said on Wednesday.

Family Dollar Stores Inc forecast a quarterly profit below analysts' estimates, sending its shares down 8 percent, as it faces an uncertain economy and increased discounting by rival Wal-Mart Stores Inc .

World Bank studies the business environment for FDI in various nations

Gold edged higher on Wednesday, rising back above $1,190 an ounce, as fresh demand emerged for the precious metal after its correction from recent record highs, which helped offset pressure from a firmer dollar.

Gold recovered in afternoon trade on Wednesday, but a firmer dollar and a report that China would not make gold a major part of its reserves undermined sentiment. Physical interest in the metal at lower prices and strong chart support after its recent correction helped limit early losses, analysts said.

Israel is giving tough competition to India's Surat in diamond processing. according to half-yearly figures, Israeli diamond industry is showing clear-cut signs of recovery. In this period, exports and imports of polished and rough diamonds jumped by an average of 104% over the first half of 2009.

Gold eased in Europe on Wednesday, extending the last session's losses, due to a stronger dollar and a report that China would not make gold a major part of its reserves undermined sentiment. Physical interest in the metal at lower prices and strong chart support after its recent correction were likely to limit further losses, analysts said.

China on Wednesday ruled out the nuclear option of dumping its vast holdings of U.S. Treasury securities but called on Washington to be a responsible guardian of the dollar.

When Reserve Bank of India bought 200 tonnes of International Monetary Fund (IMF) gold in November last year, the bullion market received one of the biggest boosts ever and the gold prices soared in the subsequent weeks to new record heights. Reason for this was that all central banks across the globe have been increasing their gold holdings fearing the recession looming large over the world.

ICBC , the world's most valuable lender, may raise up to $6.6 billion in new funding, sources said, joining Agricultural Bank of China , which priced its IPO to be the world's largest, in a rush to raise billions of dollars.

London and New York are not about to lose their spots as the world's leading financial centers but they are being challenged by emerging market upstarts in a potentially lucrative area: the management of funds moving between developing economies.

Africa offers among the world's best investment prospects as emerging markets grow ever more important, although its economies risk being destabilized by the slew of capital they stand to attract in coming years.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Wednesday after the previous session's tepid gains, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.2 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.3 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.4 percent at 4 a.m. EDT.

Investment flows to the world's four biggest emerging economies -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- slowed slightly in the first half of 2010, but growth rates and the pace of dealmaking remain strong, data shows.

Strong physical buying helped pluck gold from a 6-week low on Wednesday after China said bullion would not become a major investment home for its foreign exchange reserves. The State Administration of Foreign Exchange said U.S. Treasury securities would remain an important market for the managers of China's official currency reserves, but gold would not become a major component of the central bank's portfolio.

The U.S. Treasury Department is expected to again decline to name China a currency manipulator in a long-delayed report that will likely anger congressional critics of Beijing's policies. The report was due April 15 but was delayed until after last month's G20 leaders' summit in Canada. China said just before the G20 met that it will make the yuan's exchange rate more flexible gradually and end a two-year peg to the dollar.

Asian stocks slipped on Wednesday as investors worried global growth was faltering, while the euro hovered near a 7-week high as investors shunned long positions in the dollar.