AUSTRALIA

Asian stock markets ended mixed on Monday as Chinese shares declined to the lowest level in three weeks on monetary policy tightening concerns.

The Australian dollar hit a fresh 29-year high and South Korea's benchmark share index touched another record intraday high on Monday, suggesting investors were still eager to embrace risk and higher-yielding assets.

Full text of the British Royal Wedding Guest List.

In recent weeks, global central banks have accelerated their pace of diversification out of the US dollar. One of the main beneficiaries has been the Australian dollar, which has surged in the face of bearish developments.

POSCO's <005490.KS> annual earnings may remain under pressure due to fragile demand and high raw materials costs after the world's No. 3 steelmaker missed expectations with a 36 percent fall in quarterly profit.

POSCO's <005490.KS> earnings might remain under pressure due to fragile demand and a jump in coking coal and iron ore prices after the world's No. 3 steelmaker missed expectations with a 36 percent fall in quarterly profit.

POSCO <005490.KS>, the world's No. 3 steelmaker, reported a 36 percent fall in quarterly operating profit, missing forecasts, hit by high raw materials costs and low demand.

Asian stock markets ended slightly lower in holiday-hit trading on Friday. Many markets including Australia, Hong Kong Jakarta, Singapore, Manila and India were closed for public holidays.

US Treasuries are called the “risk-free assets” of the financial world. However, the moniker of “risk-free asset” may actually belong to another country.

To get exposure, most investors immediately considered equities, which have been historically correlated with economic growth. However, an even better option may be the forex carry trade.

Gold Bullion jumped above $1500 per ounce in London on Wednesday, setting new Dollar and Sterling highs but falling sharply against the Euro as the single currency rose to its highest level since 2009.

Police said on Tuesday they were investigating two death threats against 13-year-old Internet sensation Rebecca Black over her low-budget music video Friday.

The Australian share market shrugged off negative sentiment in early trading on Monday, to close slightly higher as the big banks made up for softness in the resources sector. At the close, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index had risen 9.8 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 4861.9 points, while the broader All Ordinaries index had gained 6.1 points, or 0.12 per cent, to 4945.4 points.

The US dollar and Japanese yen, considered two safe-haven currencies, are up on Monday while oil and US stock futures are down modestly.

The Australian stock market fell, to record the first weekly decline after three of gains, as the prospect of further interest rate hikes in China saw investors err on the side of caution.

The Australian share market pared early losses to close around 0.2 per cent higher, as investors snapped up bank stocks and other cyclicals with attractive dividend yields.

US Treasuries holders’ ability and willingness to buy more Treasuries or decision to sell existing holdings will determine the long-term interest rates of the US government, which in turn influences the cost of capital for the US private sector.

Dan Dorrow of Faros Trading continues to expect the Australian dollar to perform well on the strength of Asian economies.

Chevron Corp , the second-largest U.S. oil company, sees better earnings in the first quarter than in the previous quarter as rising energy demand boosted oil prices and most refining margins.

Teen YouTube sensation Rebecca Black sings gleefully about the weekend in her Web video hit Friday, -- and now the 13 year-old has something even more exciting to crow about.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Tasty Baking, Global Crossing, American Medical Systems Holdings, RAM Energy Resources, and VIVUS. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Sina, Medivation, Energy Conversion Devices, JetBlue Airways, and Netflix.