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Asia shares mostly up after US stocks dip

Agence France-PresseMay 17, 2013 07:15

Asian shares were mostly higher on Friday as Japanese stocks hit a fresh multi-year high after Wall Street dipped on weaker-than-expected economic data. The dollar gained slightly in Asia as investors cautiously adjusted their positions following the unit's recent surge, with brokers saying plenty of players, including importers, were willing to buy on dips. Tokyo gained 0.67 percent or 100.88 points to 15,138.12, Sydney rose 0.29 percent or 15.14 points to 5,180.8, while Shanghai jumped 1.38 percent or 31.06 points to 2,282.87.

Japan PM pledges to slash red tape for growth

Agence France-PresseMay 17, 2013 02:15

Japan's premier said Friday he would slash red tape in a bid to boost corporate investment as he seeks to capitalise on the feel-good mood of a soaraway stock market and a plunging yen. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe set out broadbrush outlines of the third of his "three arrows" of a plan dubbed "Abenomics", which is intended to turn around years of deflation in the world's third-largest economy. The first two "arrows" -- a colossal government spending plan and aggressive monetary easing -- have fuelled optimism in an economy that has struggled for two decades.

Japan core machinery orders jump 14.2% in March on month

Kyodo News InternationalMay 17, 2013 01:45

Japan's core private-sector machinery orders rose at their quickest pace in March, jumping a seasonally adjusted 14.2 percent from the previous month, signaling the weaker yen and higher stocks have started to prompt companies to boost investment, the government said Friday. The orders, which exclude those for ships as well as those from utilities because of their volatility, climbed for the second straight month to 793.1 billion yen, the Cabinet Office said, rising much faster than market expectations.

Japan March core machinery orders jump 14.2% in March on month

Kyodo News InternationalMay 17, 2013 00:00

Japan's core private-sector machinery orders jumped a seasonally adjusted 14.2 percent in March from the previous month, signaling that the weaker yen and higher stocks have started to prompt companies to boost investment, the government said Friday. The orders, which exclude those for ships as well as those from utilities because of their volatility, climbed for the second straight month to 793.1 billion yen, the Cabinet Office said, rising much faster than market expectations.

Asia shares mixed despite stronger Japanese growth

Agence France-PresseMay 16, 2013 00:15

Asian shares were mixed on Thursday despite another record US stocks close and fresh data that showed Japan's economy grew faster than expected in the quarter to March. The dollar was little changed against the yen after investors adjusted positions on the greenback's recent surge, while the euro was weak on gloomy European growth data. Tokyo fell 0.39 percent, or 58.79 points, to 15,037.24, Sydney dropped 0.50 percent, or 26 points, to 5,165.7, while Seoul rose 0.79 percent, or 15.55 points, to 1,986.81.

Asia shares gain, Tokyo jumps as yen tumbles

Agence France-PresseMay 15, 2013 04:16

Asian shares were mostly higher Wednesday, with the tumbling yen pushing Japanese stocks to a fresh multi-year high as improving confidence in the US economy boosted prospects for regional exporters. Tokyo jumped 2.29 percent, climbing above the psychologically key 15,000-mark for the first time in more than five years to end at 15,096.03 as the greenback surged through the 102-yen level following record-setting gains on Wall Street.

Asia shares mixed after US data, dollar stumbles

Agence France-PresseMay 14, 2013 03:45

Asian shares were mixed Tuesday, with the dollar's rally against the yen stumbling despite better than expected US retail figures which highlighted a steady recovery in the world's largest economy. Tokyo slipped 0.16 percent, or 23.79 points, to 14,758.42, but Seoul rose 1.03 percent, or 20.13 points, to 1,968.83. Sydney rose 0.21 percent, or 10.7 points, to 5,221 but the Australian dollar traded just below parity with the greenback ahead of the annual budget, which is expected to sketch an austere path back to surplus over the next four years.

Japan's Sharp posts record annual loss

Agence France-PresseMay 14, 2013 03:16

Japanese electronics giant Sharp on Tuesday posted a record annual loss for the second year in a row, and announced plans to replace its current chief after just one year on the job. The maker of Aquos-brand electronics reported a net loss of 545.3 billion yen ($5.4 billion) in the year to March, its worst-ever shortfall after losing 376 billion yen in the previous year. However, Sharp said it expects to return to profitability in the current fiscal year.

Japan's Sharp posts record annual loss

Agence France-PresseMay 14, 2013 03:16

Japanese electronics giant Sharp on Tuesday posted a record annual loss for the second year in a row, although it added that it expected to return to profitability in the current fiscal year. The maker of Aquos-brand electronics reported a net loss of 545.3 billion yen ($5.4 billion) in the year to March, its worst-ever shortfall after losing 376 billion yen in the previous year. si-pb/ac

Asian markets mixed, Tokyo soars on weak yen

Agence France-PresseMay 13, 2013 16:26

Asian markets were mixed on Friday with Japanese stocks jumping to their highest level in over five years after the dollar surged above the 100 yen mark and US jobs data also boosting sentiment. Tokyo closed up 2.93 percent, or 416.06 points at 14,607.54, following the dollar's overnight topping of 100 yen for the first time since April 2009, underscoring the Japanese currency's sharp decline in recent months. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index had earlier soared 3.09 percent in mid-morning trade. Its close was the best since January 4, 2008 when it ended at 14,691.41.