FT.com - Japanese stocks got a boost on Thursday from the US Federal Reserve's latest interest rate cut and figures showing surprisingly strong US economic growth.

AP - Japan's benchmark stock index plunged more than 350 points Friday following large losses on Wall Street overnight because of concerns over a possible end to interest rate cuts and a slowing U.S. economy.

AP - Chinese energy conglomerate PetroChina saw its shares triple in value in its trading debut Monday in Shanghai following an initial public offering that raised $8.94 billion — a record for a mainland bourse.

FT.com - London equities fell in opening trade on Monday, as the crisis in global credit markets claimed another victim in the shape of Delta Two's potential bid for J Sainsbury.

AFP - Chinese share prices closed mixed Tuesday, with index heavyweight PetroChina tumbling nearly 10 percent to drag down the key Shanghai bourse 1.74 percent, dealers said.

AP - Japanese stocks fell Wednesday for the fourth straight session, weighted down by soft economic indicators, political drama and profit-taking in steel and construction shares.

AP - The world's largest insurer may not have invested as much in mortgage-backed assets as the world's biggest banks, but American International Group Inc.'s exposure to the rocky credit and housing markets was enough to dampen its third-quarter profit.

FT.com - Stock markets in Asia were mixed on Friday morning, with the mood subdued after a warning overnight from Ben Bernanke, US Federal Reserve chairman, that US growth would probably slow noticeably and price rises might accelerate.

TechWeb - Net profits jumped 84% to $1.13 billion while revenue rose to $2.31 billion, up about 15% versus last year's fourth quarter.

AP - The stock market this week is hoping for signs that the economy is surviving the problems in the financial sector — and that the Federal Reserve will come to the rescue if it's not.

AP - Asian markets fell sharply Monday as traders took their cues from Wall Street, where shares dropped Friday amid renewed concerns about U.S. mortgage problems.

FT.com - Vodafone helped limit overall losses on the London equities market on Tuesday, after the world's biggest mobile phone operator lifted guidance for 2008.

AP - Wall Street headed for a lower open Wednesday as investors awaited the government's wholesale inflation report and evaluated HSBC Holdings PLC's announcement of credit-related writedowns.

AFP - Troubled Wall Street investment bank Merrill Lynch on Wednesday chose John Thain, who forged the New York Stock Exchange and Euronext into the world's largest stock market operator, as its new chief executive and chairman.

AP - Fewer coffee drinkers have been streaming into Starbucks Corp.'s U.S. stores — news that overshadowed an otherwise healthy fiscal fourth quarter for the world's largest chain of coffee houses.

AP - Stock investors smarting from months of volatility are hoping this holiday-shortened week provides signs of a badly needed year-end rally.

FT.com - Standard Chartered leapt to the top of the leaderboard in London on Monday after the Financial Times reported that three Chinese banks had held talks with the emerging markets bank's largest shareholders about investing.

AP - Asian stock markets sank Tuesday, with the benchmark index in Tokyo falling to its lowest point in more than a year after a sharp drop on Wall Street overnight amid jitters about the U.S. banking and housing markets.

AP - Asian markets tumbled Wednesday and shares fell across Europe as crude oil flirted with $100 per barrel and the U.S. Federal Reserve pointed to slowing growth next year.

AP - Japan's benchmark Nikkei stock index rose 0.3 percent in a pre-holiday session as the U.S. dollar rebounded against the yen from a 2 1/2-year low hit overnight.

FT.com - London equities rallied on Friday, as rumours of Chinese bid interest in Vedanta Resources brought the full weight of the mining sector behind the advance.

Reuters - Japanese stocks rose on Monday, buoyed by a slightly weaker yen and a rally on Wall Street, with retailers and banks such as Mizuho Financial Group posting early gains.

FT.com - A good start to the holiday shopping season in the US last week cheered up stock markets across the Asia Pacific region.

FT.com - Barclays (NYSE:BCS) said it expected earnings for 2007 to be 'broadly in line' with stock market expectations of 68.8p per share, notwithstanding 'turbulent market conditions' affecting its investment banking business.

FT.com - Banking stocks helped London equities markets rise on Wednesday, as the largest shareholder in Northern Rock looked determined to encourage rival rescue bids to compete with Virgin Money's offer for the stricken lender.

AP - Although Wall Street has logged its biggest two-day rally in five years, no one is ready to declare an end to the credit crisis that has pummeled stocks since the summer.

AP - An ambitious plan to re-ignite Dell Inc.'s fortunes has met a mixed response among analysts and investors apparently split over how well — and how quickly — the computer maker can reinvent itself as an all-in-one technology juggernaut.