CHINA

Arab Spring and Royal Wedding were on Wednesday deemed the top phrases of 2011, while late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is the year's top name, according to a global survey of the English language.

President Barack Obama is headed to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Hawaii this weekend, where he will meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao and other leaders.

Record-high exports in September drove the U.S. trade deficit down to its smallest gap since December, extending a decline for the third straight month and down from a peak of $51.6 billion in June. Meanwhile, imports from China dropped slightly.

Investors stuck with gold exchange-traded products (ETPs) in October, but most other commodities ETPs saw outflows as investors remained cautious about the outlook for economic growth.

The wealthy nations attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Hawaii may fight over trade, but they've avoided serious armed conflict for decades, and the U.S. Pacific Command aims to keep it that way, even as it copes with budget pressures and a surging China.

Cisco Systems Inc forecast revenue and earnings above Wall Street expectations as demand from government and enterprises for its network equipment remained resilient despite global economic troubles.

German travel group TUI AG is going where the world's biggest financial firms have yet to venture.

China's imports surged in October as exports grew at their slowest rate in months, suggesting efforts to tilt the economy toward domestic demand may be offsetting the external weakness that has dragged on economic growth this year.

The head of the International Monetary Fund called on Thursday for political clarity in efforts to tackle the debt crisis that has gripped Italy, saying uncertainty around who would succeed Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was fuelling market volatility.

Political and economic crisis in Italy spurred fears of a split in the Eurozone with borrowing costs for Europe's third biggest economy at unsustainable levels and the bloc unable to afford a bailout.

Olympus Corp's use of accounting tricks to hide big losses has raised questions about whether its auditors, the Japanese arms of global giants KPMG and Ernst & Young, should have done more to follow up on red flags.

A key gauge of Japan's corporate capital spending fell more than expected in September and manufacturers expect a further drop this quarter as business confidence sags in the face of the strong yen and slowing global growth.

Owing to the negative publicity by some conservatives, the US Department of Agriculture is re-assessing a 15 percent tax on purchase of Christmas trees.

Republican presidential candidates often struck a professorial tone, forgoing several chances to attack their opponents during Wednesday night's GOP debate at Michigan's Oakland University. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney emerged the winner -- not by any merit of his own, but by exhibiting the fewest flaws in an otherwise very deficient field.

China's exports in October rose at their weakest pace in eight months, underlining official concern about the sector that has dragged on economic growth this year while imports jumped much more than expected.

The Commerce Department said on Wednesday it would investigate whether Chinese companies sell solar panels in the United States at unfair discounts and receive illegal government subsidies.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) registered another difficult day Tuesday, plunging 389 points to 11,781 on institutional investor concern that Italy will not be able to service its debt, and that one, and possibly more countries may leave the Eurozone. What's the prudent stance for the typical investor?

Russia attacked Tuesday's International Atomic Energy Agency report on Iran's nuclear program, saying that it would not allow the United Nations to impose any punitive measures on the Islamic republic.

General Motors Co posted a lower third-quarter profit on losses in Europe and offered a disappointing outlook that raised doubts about the speed of its turnaround two years after emerging from bankruptcy.

General Motors Co posted a third-quarter profit that fell 15 percent after a loss in Europe and forecast that operating profit in the current quarter would be flat from a weak fourth quarter in 2010.

London-based jeweler Graff Diamonds plans to raise about $1 billion in a Hong Kong listing next year, a move that could fund expansion in Asia and capitalize on booming gem prices.