Asia RoundupStocks continue to retreat
HONG KONG: Asian stocks closed mostly lower yesterday with investors wary over the price of crude and mirroring a flat performance by Wall Street overnight, dealers said.
They said losses were not as extensive as in recent days when falls accompanied a sharp spike in oil prices to record levels.
Australia and New Zealand were closed for public holidays.
TOKYO: Share prices recovered some lost ground as bargain-hunters emerged after the previous days plunge to one-month lows on oil and currency concerns. The Nikkei-225 index gained 55.89 points or 0.33 per cent to 16,970.92. Volume fell to 1.66 billion shares from 1.82 billion Monday.
More: btimes.com.my
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Americas Retreat from Asia
The United States planned withdrawal of troops from Asia, which President George W. Bush announced on August 16, need not harm peace and stability in the region and particularly in Korea. But a key condition for a smooth redeployment of US troops is close consultations by America with its allies, something it has not done well up to now.
South Korea and Japan need to have their views taken into serious account if this now inevitable withdrawal is to succeed. By contrast, unilaterally announcing the withdrawal — and then unilaterally implementing it — may harm
ABS Mkt Needs More Issuers To Continue Growth
SINGAPORE (Dow Jones)--The Asian market for securitized assets needs more issuers if it is to continue the strong growth recorded over recent years, securitization professionals said Tuesday.
"We just need products. We need to be able to show investors more products," said Warren Lee, head of Asian asset-backed securitization at Standard Chartered, speaking at the Securitization World Asia conference.
Investors and economists say a glut of global savings - much of it coming from Asia - is driving demand for very high quality investments. But the Asian securitization market, excluding Japan
Asia Energy-linked protests continue in Bangladesh
Protesters in northern Bangladesh have set up road blocks and staged rallies for a fourth day following the fatal shooting of at least five people demonstrating against an open-pit mine in the region being developed by UK coal firm Asia Energy plc, police said.
The protestors held two marches this morning and also put up road barricades to press their demands to cancel the open-pit coal mine, said local senior police officer Ruhul Amin.
Thousands of protestors went on the rampage yesterday ransacking and torching buildings linked to Asia Energy which is developing the mine at Phulbari,
Asia Roundup: Stocks continue sharp falls
HONG KONG: Asian stocks continued their sharp decline yesterday with sentiment turning increasingly negative on the short-term outlook amid tumbling commodity prices and volatile trade on Wall Street.
Investors desperately looking for clear direction only got more confusion from very mixed US housing and durable goods data overnight, adding to the uncertainty on future interest rate trends in the United States.
TOKYO: Share prices closed down 1.34 per cent as foreign investors pulled out funds on worries about higher US interest rates and recent falls in commodities prices. The Nikkei-225 index fell 213.45 points to 15,693.75. Volume
S&P upbeat on Asia Pacific govts
Global rating agency, Standard & Poors’ today said sovereign governments in Asia Pacific, including in India, are expected to continue their reforms programs in 2006, thereby improving their country’s credit fundamentals.
This in turn should continue the upward rating trend for the region, said S&P in its “Asia-Pacific Sovereign Report Card”.
Good global growth and still-ample liquidity conditions will underpin positive credit trends in the region. This trend should be assisted by probable robust GDP growth of 6 per cent in the region, although, there are uncertainties like sustained
