Two-Year Treasury Note Yields Fall to 18-Month Lows as Global Stocks Drop

(Bloomberg) -- Treasuries were little changed, with
two-year note yields near the lowest in 18 months, as European
and Asian stocks dropped.

Two-year note yields declined 2 basis points, or 0.02
percentage point, to 4.4 percent at 8:30 p.m. in New York,
according to bond broker Cantor Fitzgerald LP. The price of 4
5/8 securities due in July 2009 rose 1/32, or 31 cents per
$1,000 face amount, to 100 14/32. Bond yields move in the
opposite direction of prices.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

Crude Oil Falls a Second Day on OPEC Output Boost, Concern Demand Abating

(Bloomberg) -- Crude oil fell in New York, heading
for its biggest two-day decline since July 24, after OPEC
increased output and on concern losses in the U.S. mortgage
market will slow economic growth.

Members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting
Countries, excluding Angola, raised production last month by the
most since September 2004, a Bloomberg News survey showed.
Prices of commodities including copper in Shanghai and platinum
in Tokyo declined, and stocks in Asia fell, extending a global
slump, on speculation waning growth will slow demand.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

Oil Falls, Heading for Biggest 2-Day Decline Since June, on OPEC, Economy

(Bloomberg) -- Crude oil fell in New York, heading
for its biggest two-day decline since June, after OPEC increased
output and on signs U.S. economic growth will slow, reducing fuel
demand.

Members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries,
excluding Angola, raised production last month by the most since
September 2004, a Bloomberg News survey showed. Asian stocks
dropped on renewed concern losses in the U.S. mortgage market
will trim growth in the world's biggest economy.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

Newcastle Coal Price Rises as Heavy Rainfall Disrupts Output in Indonesia

(Bloomberg) -- The price of power-station coal at
Australia's Newcastle port rose 5 percent last week on concern
Asian customers will need to buy in the spot market after heavy
rain led some Indonesian to warn they will miss deliveries.

Coal for immediate delivery at the world's largest export
harbor for the fuel, increased $3.27 to $70.08 a metric ton in
the week ended Aug. 3, according to the globalCOAL NEWC Index.
That's near the record level of $70.88 reached in June. Banpu Pcl
and Straits Asia Resources Ltd. both announced last week they
will miss contracted shipments after declaring force majeure
because of excessive rain.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

Treasuries Little Changed on Signs of Slowing Expansion, Decline in Stocks

(Bloomberg) -- Treasuries were little changed as
Asian stocks slid and speculation increased that losses tied to
subprime mortgages will prompt the Federal Reserve to cut
interest rates this year.

Ten-year notes may extend their gains into a fifth week
after reports showed employers added fewer jobs than expected
last month and bond investors are becoming less bearish.
Treasuries are on track to return 5.3 percent this year, the
most since 2002, according to a Merrill Lynch & Co. index.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

Asian Stocks Extend Weekly Decline on Concerns Over U.S. Subprime Loans

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks fell for a second week,
led by Macquarie Bank Ltd. and Taiwan Life Insurance Co., on
concern the U.S. subprime loans crisis is spreading to the
region's financial companies.

Macquarie Bank, Australia's largest securities firm, erased
its gains for the year after saying investors in some of its
funds may lose as much as 25 percent of their money. Taiwan Life
had its worst week in more than three years after reporting a
hedge fund loss.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Fidelity Says Its U.S., Asia High-Yield Funds Have No Subprime Mortgages

(Bloomberg) -- Fidelity International Ltd. said its
U.S. and Asian high-yield funds have no U.S. subprime mortgage
investments or collateralized debt obligations.

Fidelity International, a unit of Boston-based Fidelity
Investments, the world's largest mutual-fund company, sees buying
opportunities in U.S. and Asian high-yield markets, portfolio
managers Harley Lank and Andrew Wells said in a market update
late yesterday titled ``Sub-prime or a prime opportunity?''


Read more at Bloomberg Emerging Markets News

Little subprime fallout for Asia banks, investors jittery

(Reuters) - Ratings agency Moody's Investors Service said on Friday
that the impact of the subprime meltdown on Asia's lenders
would be limited, with the largest exposure among the biggest
banks through holdings of mortgage-backed securities and
collateralised debt obligations. [ID:nWNA7262]




Standard & Poor's said Japanese banks have about $8 billion
of subprime-related securities, according to the Japanese
Bankers Association, while a small number of financial services
firms in Taiwan have a much smaller combined level of exposure.
[ID:nSPWAcEJwa]


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Japan Facing Pressure From Asia-Pacific Ministers Over Yen Carry Trades

(Bloomberg) -- Japan's Finance Minister Koji Omi is
likely to face pressure over the value of the yen from economies as
diverse as South Korea and New Zealand at a meeting of 21 Asia-
Pacific policy makers in Australia starting today.

Money borrowed in Japan, where the benchmark interest rate is
0.5 percent, is being invested in economies offering higher returns.
New Zealand, where the key rate is 8.25 percent, has seen its
currency driven to a 22-year high by the so-called yen carry trade.
Thailand's baht has surged to its highest since the Asian financial
crisis a decade ago, as has the South Korean won.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

Asian Stocks Decline, Led by Macquarie Bank, Sony on U.S. Subprime Rout

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks fell after a U.S. lender
said it lacks cash to fund new loans, reigniting concerns that a
decline in the country's subprime loan industry will curb growth
in the world's largest economy.

Macquarie Bank Ltd., Australia's largest securities firm,
plunged after it said investors in some of its high-yield funds
may lose as much as 25 percent of their money amid the fallout in
U.S. subprime mortgages. Sony Corp. led declines among exporters
on concern the U.S. housing rout will dent consumer spending.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Yuan Set for Monthly Gain as Paulson Says Exchange-Rate is Issue for China

(Bloomberg) -- The yuan was poised for a winning
month as Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told state-owned
Xinhua News Agency that the exchange-rate issue is China's
decision.

Easing pressure on China to accelerate the yuan's
appreciation may give the Asian nation room to allow it to
strengthen without appearing to bow to global demands. The U.S.
Senate Finance Committee on July 26 approved legislation that
would slap higher duties on Chinese imports to compensate for
what lawmakers say is an undervalued currency.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

US STOCKS-Wall St eyes flat open as data reassures

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, July 27 - U.S. stocks headed for a flat
to lower open on Friday as investors remained jittery about the
worsening climate for financing corporate takeovers, but
reassuring data on the economy offered some support.




A day after U.S. equities suffered their second worst
decline this year, futures temporarily cut losses following the
GDP report. But with European stocks volatile and Asian stocks
lower overnight, the underlying tone on Wall Street remained
nervous.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Corporate Bond Risk Soars by Record Amount as Investors Flee Company Debt

(Bloomberg) -- The risk of owning corporate bonds
increased by the most ever in Europe and Asia on concern banks
and hedge funds face widening losses on subprime mortgages and
leveraged buyouts, according to credit-default swap traders.

A sell-off in the U.S., Asia and emerging markets extended
to Europe, where the cost to protect company debt approached the
record high in 2005 when General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co.
lost their investment-grade credit ratings. Deutsche Bank AG's
risk premium jumped to five times the amount on June 1.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

Beijing North Star, Korea Gas, Maruti Udyog: Asia Ex-Japan Equity Preview

(Bloomberg) -- The following stocks may rise or fall
in Asian markets, excluding Japan. This preview includes news that
broke after markets closed. Prices are from the local market's last
close. Stock symbols are in parentheses after company names.

PT Bank Central Asia (BBCA IJ): Indonesia's second-biggest
lender by assets said its second-quarter profit rose 5 percent from
a year earlier to 1.11 trillion rupiah ($122 million) helped by
increased lending to companies and consumers. The shares gained 100
rupiah, or 1.6 percent, to 6,400.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

P.F. Chang's 2nd-quarter earnings rise

(Reuters) - Net income for the Asian-themed restaurant operator was $9.3 million, or 36 cents per share, compared with $8.1 million, or 30 cents per share, a year earlier.






Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Gold Little Changed in Asia After Reaching Two-Month High; Silver Advances

(Bloomberg) -- Gold was little changed in Asia after
reaching the highest in more than two months, supported by the
euro's gain to a record against the dollar and crude oil's
advance last week to near a one-year high. Silver rose.

Gold generally moves in the opposite direction to the U.S.
currency, which slid to a record low of $1.3845 per euro today
amid concern about U.S. loans to homeowners with poor credit.
Crude oil was little changed at $75.53 a barrel at 11:04 a.m.
Singapore time, after climbing to $76.13 a barrel on July 20, the
highest since Aug. 10.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

Dollar hits low, stocks retreat on subprime fears

(Reuters) - The weaker dollar hit Asian exporters such as Canon Inc., with overall market sentiment also soured by losses on Wall Street and caution after China raised interest rates on Friday in another attempt to prevent the buoyant economy from overheating.




Oil prices fell from near-record highs after oil producer group OPEC expressed concern about the impact of high oil prices on the global economy, which traders saw as a sign it might decide to pump more oil. Gold held on to Friday's gains, benefiting from the weak dollar and heightened market uncertainty.


Read more at Reuters.com Hot Stocks News

Yen Rebounds as Investors Trim Carry Trades on Decline in Global Stocks

(Bloomberg) -- The yen rebounded from a record low
against the euro as a slide in Asian stocks spurred traders to
scale back investments in emerging-market assets funded by
borrowing in Japan.

The currency headed for a second day of gains after the
Standard & Poor's 500 Index last week had the first weekly
decline in a month on concern subprime mortgage losses will
worsen a housing slowdown. The yen has dropped against all 16
most-active currencies this year as investors borrowed cheaply in
Japan to buy higher-yielding assets in so-called carry trades.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

Dr. Reddy's, Nanya, PICC Property, Playmates: Asia Ex-Japan Equity Preview

(Bloomberg) -- The following stocks may rise or fall
in Asian markets, excluding Japan, on July 23. This preview
includes news that broke after markets closed. Prices are from
the local market's last close. Stock symbols are in parentheses
after company names.

Indonesian cigarette companies: The country increased the
maximum excise tax rate imposed on cigarette makers by two
percentage points to 57 percent from 55 percent, Finance Minister
Sri Mulyani Indrawati said.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

UPDATE 1-PC sales in Asia ex-Japan up 22 pct y/y in Q2 -IDC

(Reuters) - SHANGHAI, July 20 - The personal computer market
in Asia excluding Japan grew 22 percent year-on-year to 14.3
million units in the second quarter, amid significant growth in
portable PCs, according to preliminary data released on Friday.




Market researcher International Data Corp. said in a note
that the shipments figure for the region was 5 percent higher
than its initial forecasts.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News