CHINA

Stock index futures pointed to a rise of about 2 percent at the open on Thursday after China denied a report it was reviewing its holdings in euro-zone sovereign bonds due to the region's debt crisis.

Indians gave the biggest boost to gold this week with the demand rising in the country following the onset of wedding season across the country. Breaking all previous records, gold prices zoomed past Rs 18,800 per 10 gm level on Thursday in New Delhi while Mumbai witnessed Rs 18,600 level. This jump in India, which is the biggest consumer of the metal in the world, and the rise in demand have delivered the much needed push to the gold market globally.

Sony Corp said on Thursday it would launch an e-reader and online content distribution service in Japan by year-end, taking on rival Apple Inc whose iPad hits shelves in the country on Friday.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a rise of about 2 percent at the open on Thursday after China denied a report it was reviewing its holdings of euro-zone sovereign bonds due to the region's debt crisis.

Europe remains a key investment market for China's foreign exchange reserves, the Chinese central bank said on Thursday, helping to soothe markets unnerved by a report that it was reviewing its euro-zone bond holdings.

A tenth employee of iPhone-maker Foxconn jumped to his death late on Wednesday, just hours after the company's chairman promised to make life better for employees at the sprawling production site in southern China.

Stock index futures pointed to a strong rebound on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 2.5 percent, Dow Jones futures up 2 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 1.9 percent at 0930 GMT (5:30 a.m. ET).

The euro rebounded from near four-year lows against the dollar and European shares rose on Thursday after China denied a report it was reviewing its investments in euro zone debt.

The euro rebounded on Thursday after China reaffirmed its long-term aim of diversifying currency holdings away from the dollar and denied it was reviewing its holdings of euro sovereign bonds.

China remains committed to its long-standing goal of diversifying its foreign exchange reserves, a government official said on Thursday, helping to soothe markets unnerved by a report that the country was reviewing its euro-zone bond holdings.

An employee of iPhone-maker Foxconn jumped to his death late on Wednesday, Chinese state media reported, the tenth suspected suicide this year at the high-tech company's huge production base in southern China.

The euro approached a four-year low against the dollar on Thursday on a newspaper report that China was examining its investments in euro zone debt, while bargain-hunting gave some support to Asian stocks.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner takes his appeal for swift European action to calm markets to Germany on Thursday, the key player that stunned markets last week with its ban on some speculative trades.

The Australian dollar appears to be building a base in the low USD0.8000s as international financial markets remain volatile.

China is reviewing its euro zone bond holdings because of growing concerns about gaping deficits in countries including Greece and Portugal, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi sought to support the battered euro on Wednesday, but the currency extended its decline on a report that China was reviewing its euro holdings.

Wall Street staged yet another late-day reversal on Wednesday to end lower as news suggesting China was reassessing its euro-zone debt holdings pushed investors into profit-taking mode.

Sales of new U.S. homes scaled their highest level in nearly two years in April, while orders for long-lasting manufactured goods surged, giving the economy a firmer foundation to resist possible contagion from Europe's debt crisis.

Wall Street staged yet another late-day reversal on Wednesday to end lower as news suggesting China was reassessing its euro-zone debt holdings pushed investors into profit-taking mode.

Gold has exploded recently, making new highs against every major currency in the world.

Honda Motor Co was forced to shut all four of its Chinese auto assembly plants after workers at its parts factory in southern China walked off the job, demanding a wage hike