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The yen gained broadly on Monday as investors cut exposure to risk amid expectations of widening financial sector losses tied to the U.S. subprime market.

South Korea's Samsung Electronics said on Wednesday oversupply of memory chips used in personal computers was expected to ease in 2008 as growing demand for portable gadgets prompts a shift in production to flash chips.

Oil moved higher on Wednesday, after falling sharply for the past two days, supported by expectations of a further fall in U.S. crude oil supplies and as OPEC brushed off U.S. calls to raise output.

BNP Paribas, France's biggest listed bank, reported a 21 percent rise in third-quarter net profit, in sharp contrast to the slump in earnings of many major banks following the global credit crisis.

Oil recouped early losses to resume its march towards the $100-milestone on Thursday as resurfacing worries of tight winter supplies and continuing dollar weakness put the brakes on some early profit-taking.

BNP Paribas SA reported a 21 percent jump in its third quarter profit, beating estimates.

World stocks fell and safe-haven bonds surged on Monday after fears of major losses in Citigroup rekindled concerns about the health of financial firms hit by the credit market turmoil.

Oil climbed more than $1 on Friday, holding near $94 a barrel as concerns about tight supplies in the run up to winter prevented a major sell-off.

The Fed can now turn to pursuing a "risk management" interest rate policy that insures against a steep economic downturn.

Europe's banks are considering their next move after ABN AMRO succumbed to the world's biggest bank takeover.

Oil extended its losses to ease below $79 a barrel on Tuesday, after a nearly 3 percent slump in the previous session amid a wider slide in commodities tied to a rebound in the U.S. dollar.

BNP Paribas, France's biggest bank, is building up its onshore private banking presence in China, India and Taiwan and expects total assets under management in Asia to grow by 20 percent a year in the next few years, the head of its Asia private banking operation said.

A Royal Bank of Scotland-led consortium is set to claim victory in the takeover battle for ABN AMRO on Monday, shifting investor and market attention to the unprecedented integration challenge ahead.

Belgian-Dutch financial services group Fortis won conditional clearance on Wednesday from the European Commission for its proposed acquisition of parts of Dutch peer ABN AMRO.

A consortium of banks led by Royal Bank of Scotland could lower the level of acceptances needed to buy Dutch bank ABN AMRO to a simple majority, it said on Friday.

Renewed concerns over tight supplies and expectations of strong demand in the last quarter of the year sent lead prices to a record high on Thursday, while copper rose to a two-month high on a weak dollar.

The asset manager of Belgian-Dutch financial group Fortis said on Tuesday it would buy a Tokyo-based asset managing firm wholly owned by Germany's Commerzbank to expand its operations in Japan.

Royal Bank of Scotland Plc said on Tuesday it will establish a new global banking centre in Amsterdam if its joint bid for Dutch bank ABN AMRO is successful.

The dollar dipped to a 15-year low against a basket of currencies on Monday and hovered near a record low against the euro as investors shrugged off more gripes about the single currency's strength from French officials.

The dollar edged up against the yen on Friday but remained near a record low against the euro as consumers braced for what is expected to be the first reduction in U.S. interest rates in four years next week.

Crude oil prices vaulted to a record high $80 a barrel on Wednesday as dealers focused on tight inventories in top consumer the United States ahead of peak winter demand. The surge in oil prices came a day after OPEC agreed to a small production hike in an effort to soothe consumer nations' fears that soaring crude costs could slow economic growth.

China's booming economy is creating more than 70 millionaires a day, but foreign banks don't have enough products, client managers or offices to tap into the market for top-end private wealth services.

Barclays was recovering from a week of bad headlines, denials and late-night statements on Friday, as analysts said there was little substance to the frenzy and few harbored genuine worries over the bank's health.

Credit Agricole, reported a 0.6 percent rise in second-quarter net profit on Thursday, which beat an average forecast, and said the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis has had a limited impact on it.

Concerns about the U.S. economy prompted investor caution on Tuesday, cutting into what had been a recovery in stocks and boosting the yen.

Since taking the helm at Taiwan's top PC maker two years ago, J.T. Wang has trumped his opponents by building Acer Inc into the world's No.3 computer maker.

Three Asian banks' heavy exposure to the limping U.S. home loan sector reinforced global credit wobbles on Friday but Germany, France and Italy saw no signs of new problems.

Three Asian banks' heavy exposure to the limping U.S. home loan sector reinforced global credit wobbles on Friday but Germany, France and Italy saw no signs of new problems.

France's biggest listed bank BNP Paribas said its exposure to subprime risk was limited and manageable as it moved to reassure investors a week after rattling markets by freezing three of its funds.