Business news with words action+rising. 28 news.

Europe stocks endeda half-session of trading flat, but finished the year with the first losses since 2002 as worries about the credit crunch and rising energy prices stymied action.

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Europe stocks on Monday ended a half-session of trading steady, but finished the year with the first losses since 2002 as worries about the credit crunch and rising energy prices stymied action.

HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Standard & Poor's Ratings Services Friday said Pakistan's sovereign credit ratings could be lowered, "if the assassination of Benazir Bhutto precipitates heightened levels of violence and political turmoil." The ratings agency described the former Pakistani prime minister's assassination as a "significant blow to Pakistan's transition to democratic rule, and leaves a considerable political vacuum in Pakistani politics." It also said the event casts doubts on whether general elections in the country, scheduled for Jan. 8, will proceed. "The assassination in itself will not result in a rating action. However, a further weakening of Pakistan's institutions, in conjunction with rising levels of violence and disorder, and the postponement of the Jan. 8 elections would lead to a rating downgrade," it added.

CHINA raised interest rates yesterday for the sixth time this year, the latest move in line with a tighter monetary policy to cool the world's fastest-growing economy. From today, the benchmark one year lending rate will increase 0.18 percentage point to a nine-year high of 7.47 percent, while the one-year deposit rate will be up 0.27 percentage points to 4.14 percent, the People's Bank of China said on its Website. "Inflation expectations are rising and the central bank really needs aggressive action to cool them," said Stephen Green, senior economist at the Standard Chartered Bank (China) Ltd. "It will get more aggressive from now on." Different from the five previous rate increases, the central bank lowered by 0.09 percent the interest rate for demand deposits - those that can be withdrawn at any time - to encourage savers to tie up their cash for longer periods rather than having it readily available to shift into shares or property. The move is to help

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures surged to trade above $800 an ounce early Tuesday, as rising crude-oil prices bolstered demand for the precious metal. Gold for February delivery rose $6.70 at $806 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. "Stronger oil has helped to underpin gold," said analysts at Action Economics. "As year-end approaches, traders warn of either high volatility or very quiet markets as trade volume decreases."

A Group of Saudi Arabia Muslim clerics has issued a rare warning to the ruling government that it must take action to curb rising inflation, blaming Riyadh's pegging of the riyal to the US dollar

A deal to negotiate on precisely how to fight climate change is finally struck in Bali AFTER a fortnight of often tortuous negotiations, and an additional day at the end, 190-odd countries have decided that a global agreement involving all countries is needed to tackle climate change. The "Bali roadmap", named after the Indonesian island where the deal was struck, is an important milestone. Rich, middle-income and poor countries have acknowledged both the threat of a changing climate and the need for urgent action by all. Substantive negotiations will start within weeks to produce an international convention by the end of 2009 on exactly how countries will meet their "common but differentiated responsibilities" to fight climate change. Although the roadmap does not state it explicitly, on the insistence of the still somewhat sceptical United States, Canada and Japan, the negotiations will be guided by four scientific reports produced this year by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. These concluded that the planet will probably be in serious trouble--rising temperatures, acidic seas and changing rainfall patterns, among other problems--unless global emissions of greenhouse gases peak within 10 to 15 years and then decline thereafter. ...

Investors took fright this week after the announcement of central bank intervention in the financial system, while fears over rising inflation and slowing growth were heightened by the week's data releases

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Treasury bonds declined early Friday, sending yields higher, coming under pressure after the Labor Department reported hotter-than-expected consumer price inflation for November. The benchmark 10-year Treasury note dropped 9/32 to 100 3/32, its yield rising to 4.238%. "Another round of hot inflation data has driven yields sharply higher, though some of the news was discounted in advance of the CPI figures," said analysts at Action Economics. "The short-end is underperforming for the moment, leading to curve flattening, given the Fed policy implications and potential foreshortening of the easing cycle once the Fed manages to ensure liquidity over year-end with its TAF plans," they said.

Paulson and China's vice premier opened tense talks warning that each must take action to contain rising protectionist sentiment in the two countries.

European equity markets surged to a two-week high on Friday, on rising expectations of aggressive action by US policymakers to head off an economic downturn

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Energy stocks rose in early action Wednesday ahead of the latest inventory data due out later in the session and as crude prices advanced on the heels of the latest comments by Opec about keeping production stable. The Amex Oil Index rose 0.7% to 1,390. The Amex Natural Gas Index added 0.5% to 537, with component Southwestern Energy jumping 2.7% to $50.91. Oil prices advanced 40 cents to $94.82 on the Nymex. OPEC reportedly has no plan to raise oil output when it meets next week in Abu Dhabi because the market is well supplied, Qatar's oil minister said. Meanwhile, analysts expect a 900,000 barrel decrease in weekly crude inventories to 312.7 million barrels. Gasoline stocks are seen rising by 600,000 barrels. Refiner Holly Corp. rose 1.8% to $47.45 after it was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Friedman Billings Ramsey. Coal producer Alpha Natural Resources Inc. rose 1.4% to $27.95 after it was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS. Concho Resources Inc. fell 0.6% to $18.48 on plans to offer 10 million shares of its common stock.

THE World Bank said in a recent report that China's rising trade surplus was the main macroeconomic issue for the country and it needs to take more policy actions to contain its growth. The viewpoint coincided with the decision of the Ministry of Commerce, which treated the reduction of trade imbalance as its top priority. However, even the government paid tremendous attention to the sector. China's trade surplus hit a record high of US$27.05 billion last month, accelerating 13.5 percent from a year earlier. The combined figure through October increased 59 percent to US$212.3 billion, according to China's Customs. "The soaring trade surplus, which so far seems little affected by measures to contain export growth, constitutes the bulk of the rising balance of payment surplus," said the World Bank report issued on November 15. "This surplus is adding to domestic liquidity and contributing to steady asset price increases, share prices in particular." China's

CHINA needs to take more policy action to contain the rising trade surplus - the main macroeconomic issue for China, according to a World Bank report released yesterday. Meanwhile, the World Bank maintained its 2007 forecast for China's economic growth rate at 11.3 percent, based on a bulging trade volume and fast-expanding domestic demand. "China's macroeconomic prospects generally remain good," said the World Bank in its East Asia and Pacific Update report, which also predicted that growth may ease a bit in 2008 to 10.8 percent. "Domestically, prospects remain buoyant. With profit and credit growth strong, investment is likely to continue to expand strongly." The World Bank estimated in April this year that China's gross domestic product will grow 9.6 percent and raised the forecast in May to 10.4 percent. In September, it lifted the estimation again to 11.3 percent. The GDP growth is boosted by a continued strong contribution of external trade and an

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - Treasurys maintained overnight gains fueled by ongoing credit concerned in the wake of early economic data that had U.S. import prices rising 1.8% in October and export prices climbing 0.9%. "The data are likely to fuel fears of stagflation given the psychology of today's market," said analysts at Action Economics. The benchmark 10-year note was up 7/32 at 99 30/32, pushing its yield down to 4.255%.

Rising numbers of shareholders have been deprived of information about the companies they invest in because of a loophole in the law and the growing popularity of individual savings accounts (Isas) and self-invested personal pensions (Sipps).

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Oil rose 82 cents to $91.28 in early action Friday on the Nymex. The move comes after a record level of $90.46 a barrel in the previous session.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Energy shares rose in early action on Thursday as Wall Street sifted through earnings reports from major players in the sector and oil traders eyed geopolitical flare-ups with Iran, Iraq and Turkey. The Amex Oil Index rose fractionally. The Amex Natural Gas Index rose 0.6% to 543 ahead of inventory data expected later in the day. Murphy Oil fell 2% to $75.42 after it said its profit dropped 11% on weaker refining margins. ConocoPhillips rose 56 cents to $82.21 the day after it reported a 5% earnings dip. Oil futures prices rose $1.46 to $88.56.

Western armies are good at destroying things. Can they be made better at building them? ANOTHER debate to do with Iraq and Afghanistan is building in America, one that could have important consequences for the West. This debate is being conducted in the Pentagon--and it has to do with the future shape of America's armed forces. With its far-flung alliances and commitments, the superpower rightly wants a "full spectrum" of military capabilities to deal with everything from an all-out war to a small policing action. But precisely what the mix should be is increasingly contentious--and could prove expensive. If the biggest threat comes from rising powers, such as a belligerent Russia or a pushy China, America and its allies will need to invest in aircraft, ships and advanced weapons to cope. If the greatest challenge is the fight against militants and insurgents around the world--seen by some as a new and different "fourth generation" of warfare (see article)--then they will need more boots on the ground and, crucially, different sorts of soldiers wearing them. Sadly for taxpayers everywhere, the emerging answer from America is that a modern power needs to prepare for both challenges. But there has been a clear swing towards manpower from technology.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Wall Street on Friday headed towards a third day of mixed action as rising crude prices intensified worries about the economy, though investors found some solace among technology stocks as Google Inc. beat earnings estimates.