INVESTMENT

U.S. bank stocks are flying high, and this week's earnings could give investors more reason to be optimistic about the sector.

PRC property developer Evergrande Real Estate Group made history last week with a Rmb9.25bn (US$1.4bn) synthetic renminbi bond - the biggest to date in the fast-growing market.

An upward sloping consolidation in Gold that began in October has, despite a lack of any real losses, been enough to improve various sentiment indicators.

The recapitalization of bailed-out insurer American International Group Inc closed on Friday, leaving the government with a 92 percent stake and plans to sell its shares quickly.

The recapitalization of bailed-out insurer American International Group Inc closed on Friday, leaving the government with a 92 percent stake and plans to sell its shares quickly.

Stocks rose modestly, boosted by strong corporate earnings from J.P. Morgan (NYSE: JPM) and Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC), allowing the S&P 500 index to score its seventh consecutive week of gains.

Bullion rebounded on Friday as the euro lost strength despite better-than-forecast debt auctions by Spain and Italy, while purchases from jewellers and investors, which sent premiums for gold bars to two-year highs, offered additional support.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Friday after weak retail sales and a mixed reaction to JPMorgan Chase & Co's quarterly earnings.

The new council of U.S. regulators will face a major test on Tuesday when it unveils recommendations on how to enforce one of the most recognizable if inscrutable aspects of the six-month-old Wall Street reform law: the Volcker rule.

U.S. stocks are down slightly in Friday morning trading after the release of U.S. retail sales data and news of further monetary tightening from China.

As many as 7,936 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were inked at the fifth edition of the two-day Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2011 in the western Indian city of Gandhinagar envisaging a whopping investment of $462 billion for Gujarat and expecting to create employment opportunities for about 5.2 million citizens.

Gold fell in Europe on Friday after China's central bank raised lenders' reserve requirements by 50 basis points, with softer haven demand for the metal after solid bond sales by Portugal and Spain also weighing on prices.

The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Corinthian Colleges, ICAgen, KLA-Tencor, and Applied Materials. The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Coinstar, Kandi Technologies, Hasbro, ARM Holdings, and Qiagen.

US futures are set to open lower on Friday after a disappointing jobless claims data, which could weigh on sentiment.

World’s largest coffee chain Starbucks Corp on Thursday signed a pact with Tata Coffee Ltd, part of India’s Tata group conglomerate, and Asia’s largest publicly traded coffee grower, to source beans and explore opening retail stores in India.

Goldman Sachs raised Infosys Technologies to buy from neutral on Friday, saying it believes a drop in the share prices offers an attractive entry point.

Taiwan stocks opened up 0.11 percent on Friday, with semiconductors trading flat even though Intel Corp

Mattress maker Sealy Corp's quarterly profit edged past market expectations, helped by strong demand in its international markets and on lower costs.

Retired professor Chen Chongyu and his wife Liu Zhenjuan dreamed of coming back to China from their daughter's home in France, but until last year the couple had nowhere to go.

Bullish earnings and dividend expectations pushed Industries Qatar (IQCD.QA) (IQ) to a 28-month high on Thursday, helping Doha's Index .QSI reach a similar milestone.

At least 10 asset managers are preparing to launch yuan-denominated funds in Hong Kong to tap robust overseas demand for yuan assets amid expectations of faster yuan appreciation and broader investment channels, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said.