CHINA

Offshore markets bet on hefty yuan gains over the next year even after Beijing rebuffed calls for the currency to rise, signalling resistance to change during U.S. President Barack Obama's first visit to China.

The dollar slipped on Monday as traders took a lack of agreement on currencies among Asian and U.S. leaders as a cue to sell the greenback, even as speculation of a near-term yuan appreciation cooled.

The European Union hopes the United States and China will act according to pledges to address global foreign exchange rates, the EU's Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said on Monday.

World stocks rose on Monday while gold, oil and other commodities rallied as upbeat economic data and a weakening dollar underpinned raw material prices and related shares.

U.S. President Barack Obama's call on Monday for Internet freedom in China met with wariness and cynicism from many Chinese Internet users, suggesting his effort to win over the country's youth has some way to go.

China's Commerce Ministry on Monday rebuffed calls for the yuan to appreciate, signaling resistance to change in a controversial foreign exchange policy that loomed over U.S. President Barack Obama's first visit to the Asian giant.

Gold hit a fresh record high on Monday as investors hedged against a weak dollar, while Asian shares gained ground after upbeat reports from U.S. retailers underpinned confidence the global economy is recovering.

Gold hit a record high on Monday as investors hedged against a weak dollar while Asian shares edged higher after upbeat reports from U.S. retailers underpinned confidence the global economy is recovering.

Oil prices clawed back some of last week's 1.4 percent losses on Monday and rose a dollar to above $77 a barrel, as a weaker U.S. dollar and improved sentiments over the economic outlook encouraged traders to push up crude prices.

Central banks will be net buyers of gold this year as they diversify away from the U.S. dollar, marking a reversal of a decades-old trend, global commodities investment fund BlackRock said on Monday in comments that helped drive bullion to fresh record highs.

China should keep the yuan stable, in part because that is beneficial for a global economic recovery, a Commerce Ministry spokesman said on Monday.

Sparring Over Exchange Rates; Exxon's Poise; Sony's Dark Forecast

China on Monday made a fresh, thinly veiled criticism of the United States for running lax monetary and fiscal policies that risk undermining the dollar.

China's economy is expected to grow by a modest 8.5 percent next year while inflation will be subdued at about 2.5 percent, indicating that monetary policy should remain appropriately loose to solidify the basis of the recovery, a key government think-tank said on Monday. The State Information Center added that the risks of rapid credit growth could be contained and that a tightening of monetary ...

U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders on Sunday supported delaying a legally binding climate pact until 2010 or even later, but European negotiators said the move did not imply weaker action.

Central banks will be net buyers of gold this year as they diversify away from the U.S. dollar, global commodities investment fund BlackRock said on Monday in comments that helped drive bullion to fresh record highs.

A stronger Chinese yuan is part of the reforms that Beijing needs to implement to increase domestic consumption and help ease global imbalances, the head of the International Monetary Fund said on Monday.

The United States and China sparred over exchange rates at a meeting of Asia Pacific leaders on Sunday, pointing to tricky talks ahead for President Barack Obama when he flies to China to address economic tensions.

FedEx Corp shares, which have more than doubled since a low in March, may climb further given the delivery company's growing exposure to overseas markets such as China, Barron's reported on Sunday.

U.S. President Barack Obama called for the release of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi when he met the country's prime minister at a meeting with other Southeast Asian leaders in Singapore on Sunday.

The United States and China sparred over exchange rates at a meeting of Asia Pacific leaders on Sunday, pointing to tricky talks ahead for President Barack Obama when he flies to China to address economic tensions.