CHINA

Scientific instruments maker Thermo Fisher Scientific said it agreed to acquire chromatography systems maker Dionex Corp. for about $2.1 billion to expand in Asia-Pacific regions such as China.

Even as the risk appetite of global investors is picking up steam once again, emerging economies have gone past the U.S. in leading the investment pick-up.

Monetary tightening in China should be gradual as consumer inflation is unlikely to surpass 5 percent in 2011, an adviser to the Chinese central bank said.

China is stepping up its efforts to contain inflation, even as the latest economic report indicates that inflation hovers around a 28-year high of 5.1 percent in November.

There are many things weakening the single currency. Concerns over a lack of consensus on euro-area bonds, dollar-positive data from the US, fears about China being forced to cool down its economy and now, an ascending channel clearly shaping up on the 60-minute EUR/USD chart.

China has stubbornly refused to cede to U.S demands to let the yuan rise against the dollar. The question is, among the US and China who will gain and who will lose if China ever agreed to appreciate its currency?

The electric vehicle battery powered cars will start being competitive with gas-powered ones in about five years, the U.S. energy secretary Steven Chu, said at the annual U.N. climate talks.

China's inflation for November surged to a 28-month high, rising 5.1 percent year-on-year. Moreover, the inflation was driven by China's problem areas.

Delegates at the UN climate change conference in Cancun have agreed on a deal to curb climate change and fund developing countries on Saturday. Bolivia however, raised objections to the proposals drawn up the host Mexico. The draft comes as respite as the last summit in Copenhagen failed to agree on the best way to cut emissions.

Jim Chanos, arguably the most well-known short-seller in the world, is setting his sights on China's troubled real estate construction-driven economy.

Precious metals fell across the board in the week to December 10 as a cooling China weighed on demand hopes but the yellow metal remained better alternative in the group amid lingering worries over the euro-zone debt and dollar's ability to play safe-haven.

Dictatorships are faster and more efficient than democracies, which can be bogged down by long-drawn out debates among deeply polarized political parties who can't seem to agree on anything.

Stocks drifted higher, with the S&P 500 approaching a two-year high, as traders seemed pleased with a narrowing trade deficit and higher consumer confidence, ahead of an expected extension of Bush-era tax cuts by the federal government.

Prices to Buy Gold held firm in London on Friday, ending of what one London trader called another roller-coaster week some 1.7% lower for Dollar and Sterling investors but unchanged vs. the single Euro currency.

Norway's Nobel committee held its Peace Prize awards ceremony on Friday without the award's recipient, human rights activist Liu Xiaobo.

US trade deficit declined sharply in October to reach a nine-month low as exports rose, the US commerce department said on Friday.

Futures on major U.S. indices point to higher opening on Friday ahead of economic data including trade balance and monthly import price index.

South Korean President, Lee Myung-bak, stated that reunification with North Korea would 'definitely' take place. His statement also comes close to Wikileaks revelations that suggested that North's biggest ally China is reportedly backing a plan for reunification. A leaked diplomatic cable sent out to Washington by US diplomats maintained that South Korean officials would press for reunification but precisely, under their control.

China's central bank raised its reserve ratio for the third time in five weeks as it attempts to 'normalize' its monetary policies.

China’s trade surplus rose in November raising fresh fears about renewed criticism from the US and Europe over Beijing’s currency policy.

Why did China avoid a steep recession and bounced back relatively quickly? The answer is its massive fiscal stimulus, according to Richard Koo.