CHINA

The dollar fell to a new 15-month low against major currencies on Wednesday, hurt by downbeat official views on the U.S. economy and bullish economic data from China that bolstered risk appetite.

With little prospect of any new climate change initiatives emerging at an APEC meeting in Singapore this weekend, the climate agenda might instead focus on liberalizing trade in green goods and services.

Wall Street was set to open higher on Wednesday as better-than-expected economic data from China and comments from Federal Reserve officials on continued low interest rates buoyed investors' appetite for riskier investments.

Wall Street was set to open higher on Wednesday as better-than-expected economic data from China and comments from Federal Reserve officials on continued low interest rates buoyed investors' appetite for riskier investments.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday he believes strongly in the need to maintain a strong dollar and said the United States was determined to get its budget deficit down.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a nearly 1 percent rise at the open on Wednesday after data from China showed the world's third-largest economy was on track for faster growth, while comments from several Federal Reserve officials underscored a belief that low interest rates will remain intact.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a nearly 1 percent rise at the open on Wednesday after data from China showed the world's third-largest economy was on track for faster growth, while comments from several Federal Reserve officials underscored a belief that low interest rates will remain intact.

The yen tested higher ground on Wednesday, buoyed by stop-loss buying and eking out gains against the high-yielding Australian dollar after a mixed batch of Chinese economic data.

Oil firmed above $79 on Wednesday as a 15 month low in the dollar diverted investors' focus from fundamentals, with weekly U.S. government inventory data being delayed by one day to Thursday.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday he believes strongly in the need to maintain a strong dollar and said the United States was determined to get its budget deficit down.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher opening on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.9 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.8 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.8 percent at 4:54 a.m. EST.

China will refer to changes in capital flows and fluctuations in the values of major currencies when guiding the value of the yuan, the central bank said on Wednesday, in a departure from past language.

China said on Wednesday it will consider major currencies in guiding the yuan, suggesting a departure from an effective dollar peg that has been in place since the middle of last year.

Asian stocks rose for a fourth day in a row on Wednesday as Chinese factory output jumped to a 19-month high in October, while the ailing U.S. dollar hovered near a 15-month low.

Asian stocks rose for a fourth day on Wednesday as reports showed Chinese factory output jumped to a 19-month high in October, while the ailing U.S. dollar hovered near a 15-month low.

Oil eased below $79 a barrel on Wednesday, as mildly bearish October loans data from China offset signs of robust industrial output and retail sales from the world's second-largest energy consumer.

Oil rose above $79 a barrel on Wednesday, after dipping a day earlier, as signs of robust economic growth in China offset mildly bearish U.S. industry data showing surprise builds in crude and distillate stockpiles.

In the end, Garth Peterson, a rising star at Morgan Stanley in China, was undone by his pursuit of guanxi.

China hopes that the United States will keep its deficit to an appropriate size to ensure basic stability in the U.S. dollar exchange rate, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Sunday.

At first glance, Giuseppe Oglio's farm near Milan looks like it's suffering from neglect. Weeds run rampant amid the rice fields and clover grows unchecked around his millet crop.

The United States sees China as a vital partner and competitor, but the two countries need to address economic imbalances or risk enormous strains on their relationship, President Barack Obama said on Monday.