GLOBAL MARKETS

More than 78 million baby boomers are currently living in the United States, according to recent census data. And of these millions of aging citizens, the oldest of the group - born in 1946 - is turning 64 this year.

I'm not about to challenge our fabulous Byron King for it, but I figure he won't begrudge me the title of Go-To Gal On Emerging Technologies of the XIV Dynasty through the Late XVIII Century

The following are some of the largest planned initial public offerings on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

U.S. stocks fell on Thursday as a surprise decline in existing home sales suggested an economic recovery would be slow, even as initial jobless claims dropped.

Hong Kong's official foreign currency reserve assets has risen for five consecutive months to $218.1 billion in July, up $11.6 billion on June, the Monetary Authority said on Friday.

China will maintain a basically stable yuan at a reasonable and balanced level, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in a reiteration of the country's long-standing description of its exchange rate policy.

China's mainland and Hong Kong are transferring key personnel of its central bank, State Administration of Foreign Exchanges(SAFE) and Hong Kong Money Athority (HKMA), an effort to promote the cross-border yuan trade and accelerate the process of yuan's internationalization.

China's foreign exchange reserves are surging again, which, according to the report of People's Daily Online, helps the Obama administration drag its economy out of a recession by holding a record-high US debt by the end of May.

Hong Kong saw the volume of total goods exports fall 12.6% and that of imports drop 16.2% year on year in May, the Census & Statistics Department said on Thursday, adding that the volume of goods re-exports fell 11.8% while that of domestic exports dived 35.5%.

As US dollar's role as international currency was questioned over the global financial crisis, China began its long-awaited initiative to trade with yuan as a step toward reducing China's reliance on the dollar.

The issue of reserve currencies and the reform of the international monetary regime will probably not take place at the Group Eight Summit (G8) with the so-called Group Five (G5) nations, despite the calls from China and other countries, according to industry experts.

Hong Kong's official foreign currency reserve assets has risen for four consecutive months to $207 billion in June, up $1.9 billion on May, the Monetary Authority said on Tuesday.

Next weeks G8 may shine the spotlight on the USD as the global standard

The assets of Hong Kong's Exchange Fund totaled HK$1.7601 trillion ($225.6 billion) in May, up HK$114.7 billion ($14.7 billion) on April, officials said on Tuesday.

The value of total goods exports slip to $204.4 billion in May, down 14.5% on the same month last year, Hong Kong's Census & Statistics Department said on Thursday.

Corporate sentiment surveys from Germany and Japan showed glimmers of hope on Monday, contrasting with grim global outlooks from the World Bank and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

As the downturn still hangs over Hong Kong, the number of bankruptcy petitions and orders surged 69.9% and 71.7% by May 2009, the Official Receiver's Office said on Thursday.

The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEx) has soared to become the second largest exchange in the world.

Asian shares fell for a second straight session on Tuesday as some of the confidence that fueled a rally in stocks to seven-month highs was undermined by reports highlighting economic weakness.

Asian shares rose to their highest in seven months while the safe-haven dollar extended its decline on Monday, but warnings about an impending turnaround are growing amid weak corporate results and views that any global recovery will only be gradual.

By being long of GS and short an equal amount of MS, you eliminate the broad market and focus on the difference between the firms. Following this strategy in my weekly newsletter EPIC Insights, I recommend a long position in GS and a short position in MS as this week’s fundamental trade.

Airline stocks were down Monday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 130 points to 8,001 after the Air Transport Association posted its March passenger revenue fell 23 percent in the United States.

General Electric Co said Friday its quarterly profit fell 36 percent; however, shares rose on analyst rates despite wobbly and high demand in loan in the economic environment.

Asian equity markets are likely to run out of steam after leading a one-month rally in global stocks, with the full brunt of the deep global recession yet to be fully felt on corporate earnings and balance sheets.

U.S. stock gains eased on Wednesday and risk aversion rose, driving bond prices higher, after minutes from the Federal Reserve's last meeting showed policy-makers worried about a steep drop in economic activity.

Stocks climbed on Tuesday, driving the S&P 500 to its best month since October 2002, as investors snapped up top-performing bank and technology shares as the first quarter came to an end.

Stocks fell sharply on Monday as the Obama administration raised the specter of bankruptcy for U.S. automakers General Motors and Chrysler and Spain had to rescue regional savings bank CCM.

European shares rose for a sixth straight session and oil bounced above $53 a barrel on Thursday as upbeat U.S. housing and durable goods data boosted expectations of an early return to global economic growth.

On March 18, London stocks lowered following the announcement that unemployment has risen above the two million mark for the first time in over 10 years.