China adds tax breaks to help jobs, warns on bad loan risk

(Reuters) - China's Finance Ministry said on Tuesday that it would extend tax breaks for job creation, as the government seeks to boost the labor market, while the banking regulator warned slowing economic growth raised the risk of bad loans.

Japan Display Falls Below IPO Price After Forecast Miss

Japan Display Inc. (6740) plunged to 25 percent below last month’s initial public offering price in Tokyo trading after reporting preliminary earnings that missed its forecasts.

China aims to build over 7 million public homes this year

BEIJING (Reuters) - China aims to start building more than 7 million units of public housing this year, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said on Saturday, signaling the latest government move to counter high property prices.

India's growth prospects dim regardless of election outcome - Reuters Poll

BANGALORE (Reuters) - Prospects for a strong economic rebound in India are dim as industry remains weak, and although a business-friendly opposition party looks likely to form a new government, its ability to pass sweeping reforms is in doubt, a Reuters poll showed.

Asian economic growth to languish this year, China the worry: Reuters poll

(Reuters) - Growth in emerging Asian countries will be lackluster this year and contribute less to the global economy, despite signs of recovery in the region's major trading partners in the West, Reuters polls showed on Friday.

South Korea economic growth beats forecasts

South Korea's economy grew more than forecast in the first quarter, helped by a jump in construction and exports. Asia's fourth-largest economy expanded by 3.9% in the January-to-March quarter from a year earlier.

Thailand Central Bank Refrains From Rate Cut as Unrest Persists

Thailand kept its key interest rate unchanged today, pausing after a cut last month as the central bank assessed the impact of the reduction and a political deadlock on the economy.

Japan Urged to Start Cutting Corporate Tax Next Year: Economy

Japan could cut its corporate tax rate as early as next fiscal year by 2 to 3 percentage points, gradually lowering the levy toward 25 percent in later years to boost the nation’s competitiveness, a tax panel member said.

China shares drop over 1 percent, economy worries weigh

BEIJING (Reuters) - China stocks dropped more than 1 percent on Monday, hit by concerns about a potential share oversupply after the securities regulator released draft prospectuses for 28 new firms planning to list, marking the resumption of IPOs after a two-month hiatus.

Japan logs record trade deficit in 2013 - MOF

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese exports rose 15.3 percent in December but imports outpaced shipments due to a weak yen and subsequent higher fuel import costs, resulting in a record trade deficit for 2013, Ministry of Finance data showed on Monday.

Asia's Week: Japan's Rebound Gets More Taxing

Another calamitous loss of human life gripped Asia’s attention this week, relegating economic matters to secondary notice.

In Bihar, Economic Concerns Are Tied Up in Caste Politics

PATNA, India — In Bihar, one of the poorest states in India, voters in this year’s elections have the economy foremost on their minds, but in a state where the most socially disadvantaged sections of society make up a majority of voters, even economic issues are tied up with caste politics.

BOJ keeps upbeat view on regional Japan, sees limited tax hike impact

(Reuters) - The Bank of Japan maintained its upbeat view on most of the country's regional economies, adding to reassurances from its governor that the world's third-largest economy can ride out the pain from a sales tax hike without additional stimulus.

China's economy grows 7.4% in 2014 Q1, better than forecast

China's economy expanded by 7.4% in the first quarter of the year, better than what many were expecting.

Australia's Sydney gets second airport

Australia has approved the construction of a second international airport in Sydney at the cost of $2.4bn (£1.4bn).

USIBC Welcomes Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan

The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) today hosted the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Dr. Raghuram Rajan, for a private meeting of top executives from global financial services companies and institutional investors.

Japan Inflation Acceleration Risks Souring Public on Abenomics

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s bid to vault Japan out of 15 years of deflation risks losing public support by spurring too much inflation too quickly as companies add extra price increases to this month’s sales-tax bump.

Asia to rekindle bank capital love affair

LONDON, April 11 (IFR) - Asian investors may start buying large chunks of bank capital deals again due to the shift in market dynamics, but with many hurdles still in the way, a repeat of the 2012 heyday will be difficult.

China Normal Growth Needs Only Minor Policy Changes: Zhou

China’s central bank chief said the nation needs only minor policy adjustments when growth is within a normal range, adding to signals that the government will avoid taking broader action to counter a slowdown.

South Asia Needs to Focus Attention on Domestic Risks

The World Bank said it was cautiously optimistic about economic prospects in South Asia in 2014 because of growing exports and investment as it emphasized that the risks to growth were becoming more domestic, including an increasingly vulnerable banking sector.

China's March exports shrink, adding to danger of job losses as economy slows

BEIJING – China's exports unexpectedly fell in March, raising the danger of job losses as Beijing tries to overhaul its slowing economy.

Japan PM Abe: Will further work on corporate tax reform

(Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday that he will further work on corporate tax reform this year to make it internationally competitive.

India Begins World's Largest Election

GAUHATI, India (AP) — India started the world's largest election Monday, sealing international borders along its remote northeast while voters made their way past lush rice paddies and over rickety bamboo bridges and pot-holed dirt roads to reach the polls.

China to close nearly two thousand small coal mines

(Reuters) - China will close 1,725 small-scale mines with a total capacity of 117.48 million tonnes in 2014 as part of its programme to phase out low-quality coal production, its energy administration said on Friday.

Vietnam Construction Loans to Spur Property Sales: SBV

Vietnam’s central bank and five state-run lenders are drawing up a loan package to bolster the struggling property market and help spur economic growth. Real estate stocks rose.

China regulator to require bank stress tests: paper

(Reuters) - The China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) has said it will conduct regional and national stress tests after banks saw a spike in bad loans last year, the Shanghai Securities News reported on Friday, reflecting growing concerns over credit risk.

Singapore Widens Stock-Trade Probe; Magnus, Innopac Drop

Singapore authorities widened their share-trading probe to include executives from two more companies as the police and central bank investigate a rout that wiped $6.9 billion of market value in October.

China Outlines Measures to Support Growth as Goal Recedes

China outlined a package of measures including railway spending and tax relief to support the economy and create jobs after a slowdown endangered Premier Li Keqiang’s target of 7.5 percent growth this year.

Japan firms doubt BOJ price targets, new stimulus seen

(Reuters) - Corporate Japan expects the consumer price index to be just 1.5 percent higher in a year from now, a Bank of Japan tankan survey found on Wednesday -- a sign of how difficult the central bank could find meeting its 2 percent inflation goal by the April 2015 target date.

Asia's manufacturing powers stutter, stir talk of policy support

(Reuters) - Asia's major economies finished the first quarter on a weak note with manufacturing surveys in China and Japan fuelling expectations that policymakers will be forced to act in coming months to prop up faltering growth.