Bank of Korea: To Prioritize Economic Recovery at 2013 Rate Reviews

SEOUL--The Bank of Korea said Thursday it will prioritize economic recovery when it reviews its official interest rate each month next year, and be vigilant toward consumer price inflation, which has shown signs of easing recently.

Japan December manufacturing PMI at lowest level in over 3 years

TOKYO: Japanese manufacturing activity contracted in December at the fastest pace in more than three years, a survey showed on Friday, as companies focused on drawing down inventories due to a mild recession at home and weak demand for exports.

Philippines Joins Korea in Restraining Currency Gains: Economy

The Philippines intensified efforts to contain a surging peso, joining South Korea in clamping down on currency forward positions as monetary stimulus in the world’s biggest developed economies spurs capital flows to Asia.

South Korea president-elect urges chaebol think twice before layoffs

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's president-elect asked the leaders of the country's big businesses, or chaebol, on Wednesday to think twice before cutting jobs, saying it was time for the conglomerates her father helped build four decades ago to look beyond profits.

India, China key to growth in 2013 as global economy stares at fiscal cliff

NEW DELHI: India and China will be key for the global economy to grow by even a modest three per cent in 2013, after bouts of debt turmoils across continents pushed it to fiscal precipice and an anaemic growth rate in 2012 left policymakers and politicians at crossroads.

Japan Abe aide: No need to revise Bank of Japan law if it meets expectations

(Reuters) - An aide to Japan's next Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday that there would be no need to revise the Bank of Japan law as long as the central bank met the party's expectations for a 2 percent inflation target and more aggressive monetary easing.

China Economy Better Than Expected

The world’s No. 2 economy is better than early forecasts have suggested. On Wednesday, the World Bank upped the ante for China GDP, saying it would grow at 8.4 percent instead of their previous forecast of 8.1 percent.

Japan's incoming PM to send envoy to China: report

TOKYO: Japan's incoming prime minister Shinzo Abe will send a special envoy to China on a fence-mending mission, a report said today, after he announced plans to dispatch an emissary on a similar trip to South Korea.

India's Stocks on the Rise, Economy to Accelerate: Two ETFs Get You There

In the five years through 2011 India’s economy delivered on its promise as an emerging growth bellwether, rising nearly 125%.

U.S.-China talks to yield "incremental" progress: Vilsack

(Reuters) - The United States expects only "incremental" progress on longstanding farm trade issues in high-level talks with China on Wednesday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.

India's economy grows at slowest rate in decade

India's economy will grow by about 5.8% this year, representing the slowest rate of growth in a decade, according to revised official forecasts.

South Korea votes in tight race on economy and jobs

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Koreans vote for a new president on Wednesday against a backdrop of a hostile North Korea and a slowing economy, in a battle between the daughter of a former military ruler and a man her father jailed decades ago for political activism.

EU and Singapore agree free trade deal

(Reuters) - The European Union and Singapore agreed terms of a free trade deal on Sunday, a move that should further open the Asian country's markets for financial services and make it easier for European automakers to export there.

China, US factory data improves but global risks remain

NEW YORK: China's vast manufacturing sector grew in early December and US factories were having their best month since April, surveys showed on Friday, adding to hopes that the world's top two economies were on the mend.

Insight: Japan largely excludes foreign firms in Fukushima clean-up

(Reuters) - Nearly two years after a massive earthquake and tsunami caused meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear plant, Japan is failing to keep a pledge to tap global expertise to decommission its crippled reactors, executives at nuclear contractors from the United States and Europe say.

India mulls probe into Wal-Mart lobbying

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's government said it was prepared to launch an inquiry into lobbying by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., buckling under an opposition campaign to discredit a flagship economic policy.

U.S. intelligence sees Asia's global power rising by 2030

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China's economy is likely to surpass the United States in less than two decades while Asia will overtake North America and Europe combined in global power by 2030, a U.S. intelligence report said on Monday.

Japan falls into recession

Japan – the world's third largest economy – has fallen into recession, hit by sluggish exports to China.

China sees both industrial output and retail sales rise

China's economic growth rate may be gathering pace again, as the government released strong industrial output and retail sales figures.

India Central Bank: To Suggest Steps To Reduce Demand For Gold Imports

India's central bank will soon release a report making recommendations on how to reduce demand for gold imports, which would help improve the country's trade balance, a top central bank official said Saturday.

Fiscal cliff remains key driver in markets

LONDON (AP) — Uncertainty over the progress of a U.S. budget deal capped the advance in most stock markets Thursday as did a downbeat economic assessment from the European Central Bank and renewed political uncertainty in Italy.

China economy may grow 8.2 per cent in 2013: Top think-tank

BEIJING: China's economic growth may quicken to 8.2 percent in 2013 from an expected 7.7 per cent this year in response to official growth-promoting polices, but downside risk remains from global uncertainties, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) said on Wednesday.

Japan Q3 GDP shrank slightly less than initial estimate: Poll

TOKYO: Japan's economy likely shrank at a slightly slower pace in the third quarter than the government initially estimated because a fall in capital spending by firms may have been less than measured in preliminary data, according to a Reuters poll.

India parliament holds economic reforms debate

India's parliament is holding a debate on the government's controversial decision to open the retail sector to foreign competition.

Chinese industrial upswing cheers markets

LONDON (AP) — News that manufacturing activity in China, the world's second largest economy, grew for the first time in 13 months helped push global stocks higher on Monday.

China to meet 7.5% economic growth this year despite global slowdown: Official

BEIJING: China will meet its target for annual economic growth of 7.5 per cent this year despite the impact of the global slowdown, state media quoted a top trade official as saying Wednesday.