THAILAND

Thailand's TFEX (The Thailand Futures Exchange) on Monday started trade in new 10-baht weight gold futures contracts after starting trade in 50-baht weight contracts in 2009. A total of 1,089 contracts were traded, including 697 deals of GF10Q10 contracts maturing in August. Total trade on the TFEX Monday was 12,933 contracts, with over half representing trade in SET50 index futures.

Lonely Planet, publisher of the popular travel guides, launched interactive e-books for the iPad on Monday for popular European destinations.

With a series of auto makers announcing good sales and profits this week, palladium prices soared to new heights on Friday. Palladium settled up $22.50, or 4.8 percent, at $491.20 an ounce. Palladium and platinum, which also is higher, are used in making catalytic converters for cars.

General Motors Co believes vehicle sales in Thailand could rise to more than 700,000 units this year as the economy proves resilient to recent political unrest and grows along with the rest of Southeast Asia.

Gold gained on Friday as jewelers across Asia replenished stocks and other physical buyers snapped up bullion ahead of U.S. second quarter GDP data that will offer clues on the direction of the economy. With worries about the debt crisis in Europe diminishing, gold could attract safe-haven buying as growth in the U.S. economy probably slowed in the second quarter on reduced consumer spending.

Japan's Nissan Motor Co said on Tuesday it will spend $600 million to upgrade its plants in Mexico and start making three new low-cost cars there, positioning Mexico as its supply hub for the Americas markets.

Nissan Motor Co said orders in Japan for the revamped March subcompact reached 12,147 units as of Sunday, representing more than three times the monthly target after less than two weeks on the market.

In many parts of the world, summer vacation season starts winding down at the end of August. Beach trips come to a halt as people start getting back to the daily grind for the push toward Christmas.

Gold slipped on Friday despite gains in equities as investors took to the sidelines before the release of European bank stress test results, which seek to restore confidence in the euro zone banking sector. Major listed lenders are expected to pass, while the tests may show the biggest problems lie with smaller, mainly unlisted players like Germany's Landesbanks and Spain's cajas.

Drugmakers Merck, Tibotec and Gilead are in advanced talks with UNITAID about a patent pool to make AIDS drugs more widely available to the poor, the health funding agency said on Wednesday.

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.

Toyota Motor Corp will restart exporting its Fortuna sport utility vehicles produced in Indonesia to the Middle East and the Phillippines after seeing a recovery in demand

China's economy cooled in the second quarter, a slowdown that is likely to extend over the rest of the year as Beijing steers monetary and fiscal policy back to normal after a record credit surge to counter the global crisis.

China's economy cooled in the second quarter, a slowdown that is likely to extend over the rest of the year as Beijing steers monetary and fiscal policy back to normal after a record credit surge to counter the global crisis.

Yum Brands Inc , parent of the KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut chains, issued a disappointing full-year earnings outlook and said it expects labor costs to rise in its key China market, sending its shares down 3.2 percent.

Chinese stocks fell 2 percent on Tuesday on reports that Beijing will not relax tougher property measures any time soon, weighing on the Australian dollar and curbing early gains in Asian shares.

Asia has emerged as a global economic powerhouse but is faced with policy challenges from rising capital inflows and needs to watch out for possible shocks from Europe, the IMF's chief said on Monday.

Denso Corp, Japan's No.1 car parts maker, will likely review its earnings outlook around late October for a possible upgrade after a strong first quarter eased worries about the impact of the yen's strength

Gold edged up to near $1,200 an ounce on Friday as bargain buying helped offset selling from speculators, who had shifted some of their money to equities on hopes of an economic recovery. Dealers saw purchases from jewelers and other physical buyers across Asia, keeping premiums for gold bars steady. The electronics sector in Japan was on the sidelines, but bargain hunters snapped up platinum.

Gold fell below $1,200 an ounce on Thursday, nearing recent six-week lows, as growing optimism over the global economy limited investor interest in perceived safe-haven assets, although consumers helped contain losses.

Gold buying has intensified on the late-June/early July sell offs and capitalising on this fall were the Asian investors, jewelry manufacturers and possibly a few central banks, according to Jeffrey Nichols, Senior Economic Advisor to Rosland Capital.