Vietnam’s First-Quarter GDP Growth Slows as Lending Hobbled

Vietnam’s growth slowed in the first quarter as the government failed to spur lending to businesses as banks struggled with bad debt.

Asian Stocks Cap Biggest Weekly Gain in Almost a Year

Asian stocks rose this week, with the regional benchmark rebounding from two weekly losses to post its biggest advance in almost a year, as finance shares led gains.

Toyota employees refuse to return to work at India plants

Workers at Toyota's two Indian plants have refused to return to work this week, after the Japanese car firm said it was ending a lockout that it had instituted on 16 March.

Philippines Raises Reserve Ratio as Rate Increase Seen Nearing

The Philippine central bank ordered lenders to set aside more money as reserves to curb liquidity, a move that analysts say could signal increases in the benchmark interest rate in the coming months.

Japan Amari: BOJ can maximize policy impact by 'surprising' markets

(Reuters) - Aiming for a surprise effect is one way the Bank of Japan can maximize the impact of any further monetary easing, Economics Minister Akira Amari said on Wednesday, saying that the central bank still had a role to play in ensuring a sustained end to deflation.

This major lender sees India growth at 8% in 5 years

India's battered economy could return to its glory days of growth above 8 percent, the chief financial officer of HDFC, one of India's largest lenders, told CNBC.

Hong Kong's soaring bank exposure to China sparks credit concerns

(Reuters) - In just a few years, Hong Kong banks have ramped up lending to China from near zero to $430 billion, fuelling concerns about their credit exposure to the mainland at a time when sliding economic growth and defaults are making investors nervous.

Korea Exchange Seeks Cut of $3 Billion Illegal Gold Trade

South Korea’s equity exchange will start offering physical gold trades for the first time today, as the government seeks to curb as much as $3 billion of black-market transactions.

Asia's Week: Push Is Coming to Economic Shove in China

Mass media were focused on Michelle Obama and family on their Chinese tour, but at the business desks this was a more dour week in China.

India’s Chidambaram Won’t Seek Re-Election as Son to Contest

India’s Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram won’t seek re-election to the lower house of parliament in elections starting next month as his son will contest for the first time in his constituency.

BOJ's Kuroda: High chance BOJ to meet its inflation target

(Reuters) - Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Thursday there is a high chance that consumer prices will reach the central bank's 2 percent inflation target sometime from the end of fiscal 2014 to the beginning of fiscal 2015.

Asia business sentiment improves in first-quarter, global worries continue to weigh

SEOUL (Reuters) - Business sentiment among Asia's top companies edged up in the first quarter, as solid improvement in the Philippines and South Korea outweighed weakness in China, India and Australia amid persistent concerns over the global economy, a ThomsonReuters/INSEAD survey showed.

Japan drags down global music market

A sharp decline in music consumption in Japan caused overall global growth to slow down in 2013, according to figures from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

Toyota Suspends Output at India Plants on Wage Impasse

Toyota Motor Corp. (7203), the world’s largest automaker, said it’s suspending production in India after an impasse with union workers over wages led to output disruptions and threats to plant managers.

Japan February exports seen accelerating; trade gap to narrow

(Reuters) - Japan's export growth is forecast to have accelerated in February as shipments recovered from a Lunar New Year slowdown, which along with slower import growth is expected see the trade deficit narrow from record levels, a Reuters poll shows.

ASIA MARKETS: Asian Shares Weaker; Tokyo Stocks Tumble

A sharp slowdown in China's economy is rattling Asia's largest stock markets, with Japan falling 3.1% Friday and Hong Kong set for its worst week in nearly two years.

India's wholesale inflation eases to 9-month low, rates seen on hold for now

(Reuters) - India's wholesale price-based inflation eased to a nine-month low in February as food and fuel prices moderated, raising expectations that the central bank would leave interest rates unchanged at its policy review next month.

China output and retail data adds to slowdown fears

China's industrial output rose 8.6% in January and February, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

South Korea unemployment rate hits three-year high in jobseeker surge

(Reuters) - South Korea's seasonally adjusted unemployment spiked to a three-year high in February as job seekers flooded the labor market and the number of people in work hit its highest level in 15 years in an encouraging signal for the country's economy.

China becomes world's second largest agricultural insurance market

BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhua) -- China has become the world's second largest agricultural insurance market after the United States, the country's insurance regulator said on Tuesday.

Malaysia Mystery Could Briefly Add to Flying Fears

The mystery surrounding Malaysia Airlines flight 370 might make people a little more fearful about flying, but experts say it likely will be temporary — and you shouldn’t expect your flights to be significantly emptier as a result.

Japan's deficit hits record as economic growth slows

Japan's current account deficit widened to a record 1.5tn yen ($15bn; £8.7bn) in January, the largest since records began in 1985. In further bad news, the country's economic growth figures were also revised downwards.

China February inflation tame, room for policy easing

(Reuters) - China's consumer prices rose at their slowest rate in 13 months in February as pork prices fell by their most in over a year, a sign that slowing growth rather than rising prices poses a bigger risk to the world's second-biggest economy.

India Bonds Head for Best Week Since January on Inflow Optimism

India’s 10-year government bonds headed for the best week since January on optimism demand for debt will pick up as the nation’s current-account deficit shrinks and geopolitical tensions ease.

Emerging markets output growth slows to five-month low in Feb - survey

(Reuters) - Business activity across emerging markets expanded in February at the slowest pace in five months, weighed down by weaker manufacturing in big developing countries such as Russia and China, a survey showed on Thursday.

China signals focus on reforms and leaner, cleaner growth

(Reuters) - China sent its strongest signal yet that its days of chasing breakneck economic growth were over, promising to wage a "war" on pollution and reduce the pace of investment to a decade-low as it pursues more sustainable expansion.

Japan January wages fall in blow to battle against deflation

(Reuters) - Japanese wage earners' total cash earnings fell in January for the first time in three months, data showed on Tuesday, in a sign the government may be struggling to convince companies to pay higher salaries.

South Korea nominates Lee Ju-yeol as Bank of Korea head

South Korea's President, Park Geun-hye, has nominated former bank deputy Lee Ju-yeol to succeed Kim Choong-soo as governor of the Bank of Korea on 1 April.

Japan Capex Up 4.0% During October-December

TOKYO--Capital investment spending by Japanese corporations increased by 4.0% from year-ago levels during the October- December quarter, a government survey used in the revision of gross domestic product figures showed Monday.

China targets speculators as yuan slides again

China let its currency fall sharply again Friday, sending another clear message to speculators that the yuan is not a one-way bet.

Asia stocks mixed ahead of Yellen testimony; Nikkei falls 0.3%

Asian stock markets were mixed on Thursday, as investors looked ahead to testimony from Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen in front of the Senate later in the day for clues regarding the future of course of U.S. monetary policy.