CHINA

The U.S. real estate market is improving, at least for foreign investment dollars, according to the Association for Foreign Investment in Real Estate, or AFIRE.

Robert W. Baird & Co. CEO Paul Purcell speaks to IBTimes about his firm's performance during the financial crisis, navigating the financial services industry after the crisis, and the advantages of being a privately-held financial services firm.

South Africa is about to join the Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) grouping and will attend the first summit of the leading emerging economies in April this year, but doubts remain over the suitability of the African nation to be in the exclusive club of the fast-growing economies.

The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Qiao Xing Universal Resources, Impax Laboratories, Magic Software Enterprises, Mercadolibre, L & L Energy, ON Semiconductor, Ceragon Networks, ChinaCache International Holdings, Melco Crown Entertainment, and F5 Networks.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says continued improvement necessary to compete with Asian and European front runners

Chinese ambassador to Spain said on Monday China will contribute to efforts to secure Spain's financial stability and economic recovery as the debt-hit nation is trying to shore up investor confidence and avert any sovereign crisis.

The entire precious metals complex had a stellar run in 2010, led by palladium's 97 percent rise and Silver's 83 percent gain. Gold yielded investors a 29.7 percent profit in 2010, the tenth consecutive annual gain in a row.

Many investment banks and commodity analysts have taken a highly bullish stance on crude oil prices for 2011, based largely on economic recovery in the U.S., continued money-printing by the Federal Reserve (thereby, weakening U.S. dollar) and persistent high demand from the emerging markets, particularly China and India.

Douglas C. Borthwick, Managing Director of Faros Trading, reviews the global currency markets from 2010 and provides some outlook and guidance for 2011

Wall Street appears to be almost universally bullish about U.S. stocks for 2011.

Predictions are, by their nature, uncertain. Politics is, as history teaches, full of surprises. So predictions about politics have to be taken with a good amount of salt.

S&P Equity Research predicts big developments for the Internet segment in 2011, including continuing challenges for Google, changes at Yahoo, and a cloud offering from Apple.

Hope, despair, promises and more promises. World leaders have spelled out their intent, or say an 'action plan' for the coming year. Note them all, some merely possible, some probably intricate others perhaps a bunch of lies.

Top Ten Predictions for U.S. Economy/Markets in 2011. These predictions come from Michael Yoshikami, president and chief investment strategist of YCMNET Advisors Inc. in Walnut Creek, Cal.

These predictions come from Richard Kang, Chief Investment Officer and Director of Research at Emerging Global Shares, an ETF company focused on the emerging markets.

Economic growth in China is expected to slow next year as the nation accelerates tightening monetary policies, said a report on Friday.

The top after-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Nanosphere, China BAK Battery, Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Cerus, Broadwind Energy, Wonder Auto Technology, Oncothyreon, China Natural Gas, Myriad Genetics, and Immersion.

The China government may slash export quotas of rare earth mineral by half in 2011, according to China Securities Journal, after Beijing raised international concern by cutting exports of the minerals next year.

More than one in five TVs shipped this year were in some way connected.

At present respective growth rates, the average Chinese person will be wealthier than the average American in 27 years, according to Ed Lazear, a Stanford University economics professor.

Studying the structure of open interest in US Comex Gold Futures and options, it points to more volatility and the risk...is very much to the upside, says O'Connell, concluding that professional traders are looking for a Gold Price of $1500 or even $1600 by the start of April.