JAPAN

An audacious plan for a tie-up between General Motors Corp and Renault that would create a $100 billion global auto giant was set to come before the board of the French carmaker late on Monday.

The Nikkei jumped 2.54 percent to finish at its highest close since June 5 on Friday as exporters such as Toyota Motor gained on rising hopes that the U.S. interest rate-hike cycle may be nearing an end, easing concern of a slowdown in the world's largest economy.

Foreign investors are likely to return to Japanese stocks as companies begin to lift their earnings forecasts this summer, and could help boost the TOPIX index as much as 18 percent by the end of this year, Morgan Stanley's Japan equity strategist said on Wednesday.

Financial markets stalled on Wednesday as uncertainty about when the Federal Reserve will end its monetary tightening campaign kept investors sidelined, while crude oil rose above $72 a barrel on worries about U.S. gasoline supplies.

The Nikkei fell 1.74 percent on Wednesday as tyre maker Bridgestone Corp. a day earlier cut its profit forecast citing higher raw material costs, pulling down its own shares and those of rivals and chemical makers.

Investors in Asia's biggest property market, Japan, will need to be more selective and work harder on refurbishing buildings to make good returns as the cost of borrowing increases, fund managers say.

A standard-setting organization has put on hold its review of an advanced wireless technology favored by Qualcomm Inc. due to a squabble involving Intel Corp., The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

testSouth Korea, home to the world's most sophisticated online games, is preparing an assault on North America, Japan and Europe, setting the stage for an international scrum in an industry poised to nearly triple in value in the coming years.

Asian markets rallied for a second day Friday, recovering from a plunge Tuesday that sent stocks in the region to their lowest levels in months.

We now live in a fully global society where it is imperative to have an awareness of cultural differences as they relate to networking etiquette. We often notice differences within our own states. Certainly between regions of the nation; but what about businesses that are networking with businesses in other parts of the world? We actually cross cultures with every person we meet.

Toyota Motor Corp. will double Camry sedan production capacity at its joint venture with China in the province of Guangzhou to 200,000 units by the end of this year, according to Reuters.

A global sell-off in stocks that started in May is not over and may only be just starting, Abhijit Chakrabortti, global equity strategist at JPMorgan Chase & Co., said on Tuesday.

Small cars were banned from Beijing's main roads less than a decade ago, as China's rulers worried that cheap, spluttering vehicles would clog lanes they hoped to fill with sleek modern autos.

Sayaka Masuda's face was a picture of frustration when she realized she would have to buy a disposable camera in Kyoto, Japan's photogenic ancient capital.

Worldwide output at Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., Japan's second-largest auto maker, plunged by a fifth in April, the company said on Wednesday, a drop that reflects planned inventory cutbacks but also falls in sales.

U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow said on Friday he was confident the Federal Reserve will protect growth by keeping inflation in check, and denied the Bush administration was softening its strong-dollar policy.

China Mobile (Hong Kong) Ltd., the largest mobile telephone provider in China, announced on Thursday that they and Google Inc. have been working together to bring internet search capabilities to China.

UK-based Barclays Bank Plc is looking to develop wealth management in India, where it sees potential in a growing middle class as well as non-residents, two senior executives told Reuters in an interview.

At the biggest video game show of the year, Sony, which has dominated the console market with its PlayStation 2, must show gamers reason to wait six more months for its PS3, even though Microsoft's next-generation Xbox 360 already sits temptingly on stores shelves.

Raw material resources will determine country rankings in the world economic pecking order in years to come as strong demand and limited supplies ensure commodity prices hold their upward trajectory.

The Nikkei average fell 1.29 percent on Friday as shares of Sony Corp. tumbled after it forecast a sharp profit decline in the current year and as a stronger yen raised concern of a drop in earnings at exporters such as Kyocera Corp.