CHINA

In his first speech as Britain’s new Minister of Trade and Investment, Stephen Green (The Baron Green of Hurstpierpoint) emphasized the vital importance of China to British UK economy.

Campbell Soup Co said it would form a joint venture with Swire Pacific Ltd <0019.HK> to expand the reach of its business in China.

Pork tainted with the highly toxic chemical dioxin may have been sold in Germany, authorities said on Wednesday.

Even as the rest of the world's efforts to push consumer spending and economic growth are floundering, Brazil reported a more-than-expected rise in retail sales during November.

Private equity funds in China are nervously eyeing a push by the country's top securities regulator to gain oversight of the fast-growing sector, fearing increased scrutiny and tougher new rules.

Talking to people in the Chinese market over the weekend, writes Jeff Toshima, Tokyo director of the World Gold Council, in today's Nikkei Money, I was amazed to discover the number of gold saving accounts at Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has grown above 1,000,000 within a year of ICBC launching the service.

Gold prices rose in Europe on Wednesday, as a retreat in the dollar, rising oil prices and caution ahead of a sale of Portuguese bonds later in the day all boosted interest in the precious metal.

The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: China Recycling Energy, Affymetrix, Lululemon Athletica, A-Power Energy Generation Systems, Sequenom, and LeCroy. The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Illumina, Vodafone Group, Zions Bancorp, Ryanair Holdings, and SanDisk.

Airbus basked in the world's biggest commercial plane order on Wednesday, with shares in parent EADS lifted by news of its $15.6 billion 180 aircraft deal with Indian airline IndiGo.

The extra fiscal stimulus in the form of tax cuts approved in December could produce a 4 percent growth rate for the U.S. economy in the first half of 2011, but there are lingering risks that could lead to a cold shower in 2012, according to the American Enterprise Institute (AEI).

Europe can definitely solve its debt problems and China will continue to support the euro's role as an alternative to the dollar in global financial markets, a Chinese central bank adviser said on Wednesday.

German economy, Europe's biggest and the only bright spot in an otherwise bleak euro zone fiscal scene, grew at an impressive rate of 3.6 percent in 2010, official data showed.

Another Chinese interest rate increase in the first quarter is likely, a central bank adviser said on Wednesday, but a vice governor cautioned against raising rates too steeply for fear of luring in hot money.

State-owned Bank of China Ltd has offered yuan trading to its U.S. customers, a sign that Beijing this year may increasingly promote the use of the Chinese currency in major financial centers.

Indian budget carrier IndiGo is considering all options including an initial public offering to finance a $15.6 billion plane order with Airbus, but has made no decision yet, the firm's president said on Wednesday.

Hong Kong beat rivals Singapore and Australia to be rated the world’s freest economy for a straight seventeenth consecutive year, according to a ranking by US-based Heritage Foundation.

Android phones and other mobile devices are more vulnerable to hackers than Apple iPhones due to Google's open-source policy in apps development, according to the chief of a security firm.

State-owned Bank of China Ltd has offered yuan trading to U.S. customers, a sign that Beijing this year may increasingly promote the use of the Chinese currency in major financial centers.

China's central bank bill and government bond yields edged lower on Wednesday as easing concerns over another monetary tightening step in the coming weeks along with ample liquidity kept sentiment cautiously optimistic, traders said.

Hong Kong was rated the world's freest economy for a 17th straight year in a ranking by the U.S.-based Heritage Foundation, above rivals Singapore and Australia for the title.

China would welcome assurances its financial assets in the United States are safe, a senior diplomat said on Wednesday, ahead of President Hu Jintao's visit next week, but played down rifts between the two powers.