TORONTO - The Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board says it's working to strengthen its foothold in emerging markets such as China, India and Brazil as it strives to keep up with shifts in the global economy. "If you look at market cap and GDP, the trend is clear that the balance of economic activity is moving, at least on a proportional basis, to the developing world," said Don Raymond, the board's chief investment strategist. "We will broadly mirror that in both our active and passive portfolio activities."

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Shares of homebuilder William Lyon Homes rose 2 per cent after the company's stock was sold to the public Thursday. The stock, which had been trading over the counter before its debut Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange, closed at $25.50, up 50 cents from its starting price of $25. Shares of William Lyons that had traded over the counter closed at $29.70 Wednesday after a reverse stock split, which reduced the amount of shares available. The reverse stock split gave investors 1 new share for every 8.25 they owned.

By Gabriel Wildau and Pete Sweeney SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A private Chinese fund management company plans to break new ground by establishing a privately managed offshore yuan fund as a vehicle for investment in Southeast Asia, taking advantage of Beijing's moves to promote use of its currency overseas.

(Reuters) - Canadian private equity firm Onex Corp said it will buy TV ratings company Nielsen Holdings NV's expositions business for $950 million in cash. Nielsen Expositions produces more than 65 business-to-business trade shows and conferences in the United States every year. Onex Partners III, Onex's $4.7 billion private equity fund, will make an equity investment of about $350 million, of which Onex's share is about $85 million as a limited partner in the fund. Onex has about $15 billion of assets under management.