IBT Staff Reporter

Asian shares edged up on Thursday as investors continued to favor riskier assets on further signs that the global economy is picking up, while a weak dollar sent gold to another record high.

Asia-Pacific governments were expected on Thursday to stick with economic stimulus plans and make a joint call for market-oriented exchange rates to ensure the fragile recovery under way can be sustained.

Taylor Swift won Entertainer of the Year and three more awards Wednesday night at the CMAs including album of the year.

Chinese property developer Longfor Properties Co raised $912 million, pricing its Hong Kong initial public offering at the top end of an indicated range on Thursday, according to two sources close to the deal.

HP's Cisco Challenge; AIG CEO is Staying; Costco's Warehouse Hopes

Taylor Swift won two awards Wednesday night at the CMAs including album of the year. The night also featured jokes about the infamous interruption of rapper Kanye West of Taylor Swift at the VMAs last September.

Oil prices were steady above $79 a barrel on Thursday, as the market awaits U.S. government oil inventory data and watches the dollar, which is flirting with 15-month lows against a basket of currencies.

Advanced Micro Devices said it expects to report profits next year from its chip design business, the backbone of a company trying rebuild market share and better compete with rival Intel Corp.

China will stick to its active fiscal policy and loose monetary measures even though its economic recovery is now on more solid footing, Premier Wen Jiabao said on Thursday.

A Bear Flag is a bearish continuation pattern that generally occurs after a decline in price. After a period of price consolidation in the flag, prices generally continue in the direction of the prior trend.

A Bearish Descending Triangle is a bearish continuation pattern that typically appears after a decline in price. Price consolidates briefly in the triangle and usually continues in the same direction as the previous trend.

An inverse Head and Shoulders pattern is a bullish reversal pattern and for the pattern to be reliable, it should occur in a downtrend. A downtrend is reversed at the left shoulder and buyers drive prices back up to the neckline. Sellers then push prices down to the head and buyers drive prices back to the neckline again. Any sellers who are remaining are only able to push prices back to the right shoulder before buyers step in and drive prices through the neckline.

A double bottom is a bullish reversal pattern that usually occurs after an extended downward movement in price. In good double bottom patterns, the second trough is typically lower than the first trough.

A Bullish Pennant Pattern is a bullish continuation pattern that usually follows a large run up in price. After a brief price consolidation in the pennant, prices generally continue in the same direction as the prior trend.

A Bull Flag pattern is a bullish continuation pattern that generally occurs after a large run up in price. After a period of price consolidation in the flag, prices generally continue in the direction of the prior trend.

An Ascending Triangle Pattern is a bullish continuation pattern and usually occurs after a large run up in price. The time spent in the triangle is a period of price consolidation and the trend usually continues in the same direction as the previous trend.

A Head and Shoulders pattern is a bearish reversal pattern and for the pattern to be reliable, it should occur in an uptrend. An uptrend is reversed at the left shoulder and sellers drive prices back up to the neckline. Buyers then push prices up to the head and sellers drive prices back to the neckline again. Any buyers who are remaining are only able to push prices back to the right shoulder before sellers step in and drive prices through the neckline.

A double top is a bearish reversal pattern that typically occurs after an extended upward movement in price. Prices reverse once, moving downwards to the confirmation level followed by an upward movement in price. Prices reverse again at the second peak, and completion of the pattern occurs when prices break through the confirmation line.

Costco Wholesale Corp is hoping that consumers are becoming more comfortable making purchases as the No. 1 U.S. warehouse club operator heads into the year-end holiday shopping season.

A new technology to prevent lithium-ion batteries from catching fire or exploding in laptops and mobile phones may be on the market as soon as the first quarter of 2010, its inventor said on Wednesday.

Orange UK on Tuesday started selling Apple's popular iPhone in the country with the first-day sales of 30,000, CNet reported on Wednesday.

Hewlett-Packard Co on Wednesday announced preliminary results for the fourth quarter 2009 and besides its acquisition of 3Com Corp for $2.7 billion. The company also raised its outlook for fiscal 2010.

Applied Materials Inc , the world's largest producer of chip-making gear, posted lower quarterly profit on Wednesday, but beat Wall Street estimates and said it planned to cut jobs globally.

Shares of 3Com Corp soared more than 35 percent in extended trading on Wednesday after Hewlett-Packard Co agreed to acquire the networking solutions provider for $2.7 billion, while HP shares slipped 0.7 percent to $49.65.

The slump in the housing market ended around March, and while there is improvement, it will be slow and fitful, U.S. luxury homebuilder Toll Brothers Inc's Chief Executive Robert Toll said on Wednesday.

U.S. President Barack Obama convened his war council on Wednesday for talks considered critical to his deliberations on boosting troop levels in the increasingly unpopular war in Afghanistan.

Black Friday 2009 deals are being unveiled by major retailers in the United States. Target, Kohl's and Best Buy are some of the companies with special deals for this year's Black Friday.

Advanced Micro Devices said it expects its chip design business, the backbone of the company, to be profitable next year, adding more fuel to hopes that the technology sector is rebounding.