CHINA

Baidu leads China Web search market in Q4

Baidu.com Inc led China's search engine market in last year's fourth quarter with a 60.1 percent share, research firm Analysys International said on Friday.

China insurers facing tougher 2008-regulator

Higher interest rates, a rising yuan and stock market volatility pose stiff challenges for Chinese insurance companies, the industry regulator said on Friday.

Copper Futures Rise on Fed Cut, China's Economy Growth

U.S. Copper futures rose on Thursday along with other metals, oil and equity markets, on the 0.75 percent cut in interest rates this week

China starts hearing on mobile roaming charges

China on Tuesday started a public hearing to discuss lowering domestic mobile roaming charges, state media said, to address complaints from users.

Crude Oil Falls Below $89 as Asia and Europe Markets Drop

Crude Oil dropped on Monday below $89 a barrel as stock markets in Asia and Europe fell on concerns over a global economy slowdown.

Microsoft in Hot Water over Chinese Characters Lawsuit

Chinese information technology company Zhongyi Electronic Ltd. said on Friday it is suing software giant Microsoft, claiming it stole its Chinese character technology, a charge Microsoft disputes.

China Internet Users Likely to Surpass U.S. in 2008

China now has 210 million Internet users, up 53 percent from the period a year ago and is likely to surpass the U.S this year, according to a Chinese survey.

Cotton futures down as U.S. shares decline

Cotton futures on Friday declined after China cut imports as U.S. shares and agricultural products dropped.

Clones may cloud outlook for food exporters

Some U.S. meat and dairy producers are finding new reasons to be nervous

Asia private equity funds jumped in '07 -journal

Asia's private equity industry largely shrugged off last year's global credit crunch, with assets under management, fundraising and investment rising at double-digit levels, an industry publication said on Friday.

Chinese banks' bad loans drop, focus now on strategy

China's banking regulator on Friday laid out its priorities for 2008, saying that it would focus on helping commercial banks sharpen their operations by improving their strategic planning, innovation and services.

Cell phones and virtual worlds morphing shopper ways

Virtual worlds, mobile coupons and bar-code readers on cell phones are the next technology wave that U.S. chain stores must ride if they hope to stay competitive in the fast-changing world of global retail.

Copper falls on Worries of U.S. recession, Retail Sales Decline

Copper Futures declined nearly 3 percent, the lowest drop in six weeks, as worries of an economic recession grew after an official report showed sales at U.S. retailers fell surprisingly in December.

BlackBerry poised to hit China

TCL Corp 000100.SZ began sending BlackBerry handsets to partner China Mobile in 2007's fourth quarter, suggesting the launch of the popular email device in China is just around the corner.

Copper Rises on Weak Dollar

Copper Futures rose on Monday after the dollar slipped, which also drove investments into other commodities such as gold and oil.

Apple, China Mobile call off iPhone launch talks

Apple Inc and China Mobile have called off talks to launch the U.S. firm's popular iPhones in China, dashing investor speculation that the device will hit store shelves soon and sending China Mobile shares down.

Tata Motors unveils world's cheapest car Nano

Amid a great deal of hype and fanfare, Tata Motors, frontrunners in the acquisition race for Ford Motor's British luxury brands Jaguar and Land Rover, unveiled its People's Car rechristened Nano, that meets Euro 4 emission and safety norms in the India Auto Expo 2008, New Delhi, Thursday, Jan. 10.

Beijing teens study how to award Olympic medals

The willow-thin high school student is one of 34 Chinese girls training to be an Olympic medal presenter at the Beijing Foreign Affairs School (BFAS), one of several state-run colleges charged with producing camera-friendly girls for awards ceremonies.

Copper falls after 2-month high

Copper Futures fell on Wednesday after a two month high on market has uncertainty over the U.S. economy which may reduce copper demand.

Copper Futures Reach Highest Prices Since Mid-Nov.

Copper Futures climbed to their highest levels since mid-November on Tuesday, propelled by a rally in other industrial metals early in 2008.

China's CITIC Securities says 2007 net quintupled

CITIC Securities, China's largest listed brokerage, said on Monday its net profit more than quintupled last year.

Chinese shrug off $100 oil, but Beijing must beware

Oil prices at $100 a barrel mean little to Chinese consumers insulated from the global rally by cheap fuel prices, but the latest market peak should sound a warning to Beijing over its disjointed energy policy.