AP - Hong Kong's key stock index rose Monday as traders snapped up bargains and China-related stocks.

AP - Philippine shares tumbled Tuesday, dragged down by foreign selling following Wall Street's plunge overnight after a leading economic think tank declared the U.S. already in recession.

AP - Asian stock markets rose Wednesday after a rebound on Wall Street, but pervasive concerns about the dismal outlook for the world economy limited gains.

AP - Asian markets were mixed Thursday as investors waited for key interest rate decisions in Europe later in the day and braced for more bad news from Friday's U.S. jobs report. Oil prices fell to fresh three-year lows.

AP - Asian markets were mostly lower Friday as a slew of dismal U.S. economic news overshadowed big rate cuts from central banks in Europe. Oil traded near four-year lows.

AP - Deutsche Boerse AG has been secretly talking to NYSE Euronext about a combination that would create the world's leading stock exchange, a German weekly reported Saturday.

AP - Deutsche Boerse rebuffed rumors that it might join with NYSE Euronext to create the world's leading stock exchange, issuing a statement Sunday flatly declaring it had nothing to report.

AP - Hong Kong stocks soared 7.5 percent Monday, boosted by hopes that Chinese leaders meeting in Beijing would hash out more measures to bolster China's economy.

AP - Asian markets flitted in and out of positive territory Tuesday, buoyed by hopes for stimulus measures by the world's biggest economies but unable to shake off pervasive concerns about the global outlook.

AP - Asian markets shrugged off negative economic news to rise Wednesday, underpinned by continued faith in government measures to boost flagging economies as Congress neared a deal to rescue ailing U.S. automakers.

AP - Most Asian markets edged lower Thursday as investors mulled dismal trade numbers from China and a hefty interest rate cut by South Korea's central bank in a bid to stave off recession.

AP - Asian markets plunged Friday as a U.S. government rescue of Detroit's ailing automakers collapsed in the Senate and the perilous state of the world economy was underlined by more dire economic data and deep job cuts in the United States.

AFP - Deutsche Boerse, the operator of the German stock exchange, has opened a representative office in Beijing, the latest bourse to do so in a bid to attact Chinese initial public offerings.

AP - The private Swiss bank Reichmuth & Co says it has 385 million Swiss francs ($327 million) at risk in the case of U.S. financier Bernard L. Madoff, who has been accused of securities fraud.

AP - Chinese stocks rose Monday as government moves to boost the economy outweighed data showing that growth in factory output had fallen to its lowest level in nearly seven years.

AP - Asian markets were mixed in cautious trade Tuesday as investors awaited an interest rate decision from the U.S. Federal Reserve.

AP - Asian stocks markets climbed Wednesday after the U.S. Federal Reserve slashed its key interest rate to historic lows in an effort to pull the world's largest economy out of recession.

AP - President-elect Barack Obama has chosen a veteran of the Securities and Exchange Commission to lead and revitalize the agency now facing growing criticism for its failure to protect investors at a time of unprecedented market turmoil.

AP - Asian stocks were mixed Friday after Japan slashed interest rates to almost zero as central banks around the world seek to flood the markets with cheap money to support a troubled global economy.

AFP - Investors reeling from a roller-coaster ride face a holiday-shortened trading week expected to see light trade and modest portfolio adjustments ahead of the new year.

AP - Investors head into a holiday-shortened week with optimism that recent moves to prop up the ailing auto industry and slash interest rates might trigger a year-end rally.

AP - Asian stock markets were mostly lower Monday as a U.S. pledge to loan troubled automakers $17.4 billion failed to ease worries about a deteriorating world economy.

AP - Asian stocks slumped in thin trade Tuesday after an interest rate cut in China disappointed investors and Wall Street finished lower.

AP - Japanese stocks fell Wednesday, with investors turning glum after a fresh round of poor U.S. economic data, as well as more bad news from Toyota Motor Corp.

AP - Japanese stocks made a modest comeback Thursday after falling sharply the previous session, buoyed by bargain hunters and Wall Street's rise overnight.

AP - Asian stock markets were mixed Friday in quiet holiday trade amid new evidence that companies and consumers alike were struggling as the global economy slumps.

Reuters - Japan's Nippon Steel Corp (5401.T) and JFE Holdings Inc (5411.T) will likely cut their operating profit forecasts for this business year as demand from automakers and other customers plunges, the Nikkei business daily said on Sunday.

AFP - Asian stock markets were mixed Monday in thin year-end trade, with some profit-taking by investors who are bracing for what will likely be a volatile 2009.

AP - A miserable year for Japanese stocks ended with a modest gain Tuesday that did little to mitigate the market's worst annual performance on record.

AP - The handful of bourses still trading in Asia on New Year's Eve ended one of the worst years ever for global stock markets with a suitable whimper.