NIKKEI 225

The U.S. dollar firmed across the board on Wednesday and stocks eked out slight gains, adding to this year's big rally, after much better-than-expected business activity in the U.S. Midwest bolstered hopes of recovery.

Asian share markets fell on Wednesday as year-end trade dwindled, with profit-taking pulling down shares and bankruptcy worries about Japan Airlines weighing on the Nikkei, while the dollar rose broadly.

Asian share markets fell on Wednesday as year-end trade dwindled, with profit-taking pulling down stocks in Australia and bankruptcy worries about Japan Airlines Corp weighing on the Nikkei, but the dollar rose broadly.

Australian shares rose on Tuesday, helped by gains in oil and metals and by merger activity, but stock markets elsewhere in Asia lagged as year-end activity dwindled and the dollar's rally ran out of steam.

Asian stocks rose on Monday on increasing optimism about the global economy, with Tokyo shares hitting their highest in four months, while the U.S. dollar gained against the yen and held firm against the euro.

Shares in Tokyo slipped on Friday as investors took profits in trade thinned by the Christmas break in many other markets, while Shanghai fell and the dollar hung near its highs of the month after goods and jobless claims data.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.22 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.15 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.23 percent at 3:33 a.m.

Asian stocks rose on Thursday led by gains in technology shares, while the U.S. dollar edged further away from recent peaks after an unexpected drop in U.S. home sales cooled optimism about the economic recovery.

The dollar held firm on Tuesday against major currencies, and hit a two-month high against the yen, while Asian shares edged up as technology stocks tracked a rally in their peers on Wall Street.

Asian share markets rose broadly on Monday, with high-tech stocks following gains in U.S. rivals late last week, and the dollar held its ground near three-month highs against the euro and kept on a firmer footing against the yen.

Global regulators will give banks a grace period before forcing them to implement stricter capital rules, three people said on Wednesday, easing concerns that lenders might need to issue massive amounts of shares in the near future.

Shifting views on interest rates in 2010 whipsawed markets on Wednesday, with the Australian dollar tumbling as investors scaled back their bets on aggressive rate hikes, while U.S. Treasuries rose before the last Federal Reserve meeting this year.

The Australian dollar fell and bonds jumped on Wednesday on decreased chances of an interest rate rise in February, while Japanese bank shares surged on a report of a possible delay in new global bank capital rules.

Chinese auto parts maker Ningbo Yunsheng Co (600366.SS) plans to buy a 79.1 percent stake in unlisted Japanese auto parts firm Nikko Electric Industry Co, the Nikkei business daily reported on Wednesday.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher opening on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.59 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.39 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.49 percent.

Japan's Panasonic Corp said on Thursday it acquired 50.2 percent of Sanyo Electric Co Ltd, the world's largest rechargeable battery maker, completing a long-delayed 403.8 billion yen ($4.6 billion) deal.

Japan's Panasonic Corp said it acquired 50.2 percent of Sanyo Electric Co Ltd , the world's largest rechargeable battery maker, for 403.8 billion yen ($4.6 billion), as shares of Sanyo jumped the most in six months on the completion of the deal.

Government bonds in Australia and South Korea fell on Thursday as investors pushed forward expectations for interest rate rises in 2010 because of bullish growth views, while Asian stocks slid on year-end profit taking.

The Australian dollar surged on Thursday after November jobs growth blew away expectations, while Asian stocks posted small gains ahead of a slew of Chinese economic data on Friday expected to reflect robust growth.

As soothsayers and strategists gaze into 2010, one statistic on the retiring baby-boom generation makes anxious reading for stock market bulls.

Global equities slipped on Wednesday with Japan leading the falls on concerns over the pace of recovery, while crude oil prices recovered and the euro picked up from a one-month low on bargain hunting.