Business news with words economy+recession+shares. 24 news.

ASIAN stocks rose for a second day, led by electronics makers, after consumer spending increased more than forecast in the United States, the region's biggest export market. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, maker of iPods for Apple Inc, and Samsung Electronics Co climbed to the highest in more than a week. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index advanced the most in three weeks last Friday after the report on November spending eased concern about recession in the world's biggest economy. "US shares showed firm gains, and we're seeing the influence in shares today (yesterday)," said Kim Jae Dong, who oversees the equivalent of US$8.6 billion at Korea Investment Trust Management Co in Seoul. BHP Billiton Ltd led an increase among miners after metals prices climbed, and a UK regulator set a deadline for a formal takeover bid for Rio Tinto Group. The MSCI Asia Pacific, excluding Japan Index, rose two percent to 524.1 as of 3:38pm in Hong Kong, with all 10 industry groups climbing.

UNITED States stocks have had the biggest weekly decline in a month after a Federal Reserve interest-rate cut and the biggest coordinated effort since 2001 to provide banks with cash failed to assuage concern that the economy will contract. Washington Mutual Inc led banks, brokerages and other financial firms to the steepest decline among 10 industries in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. Circuit City Stores Inc, Sears Holdings Corp and Amazon.com Inc retreated on speculation that holiday sales at retailers will fall short of estimates, Bloomberg News said. Shares declined even after central bankers in North America joined those in Europe to inject money into the financial system and alleviate gridlock in credit markets. Reports that showed accelerating inflation caused concern that the Fed will be unable to cut interest rates more to prop up growth. "A recession is in the works," Andy Engel, who helps run the US$1.81 billion Leuthold Core Investment Fund that has

FT.com - Shares fell across the Asia Pacific region on Wednesday as investors seemed worried by the US Federal Reserve's statement that the US economy was slowing, and that its 25 basis point cut in interest rates may not be enough to prevent a recession.

Shares fell across the Asia Pacific region as investors seemed worried by the US Federal Reserve's statement that the US economy was slowing, and that its cut in interest rates may not be enough to prevent a recession

UNITED States shares have posted their steepest two-week advance since September after President George W. Bush announced a plan to freeze some mortgage rates to prevent foreclosures from causing a recession. Centex Corp and DR Horton Inc led homebuilders as they climbed the most in seven years. Intel Corp, Micron Technology Inc and other semiconductor companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose the most since June following analyst predictions that demand for computers will increase. All 10 industries in the S&P 500 gained. Stocks have rebounded after losing their 2007 gain at the end of last month, spurred by speculation the Federal Reserve will reduce interest rates to prop up the world's largest economy. The S&P 500 declined on Friday after a Labor Department report showed US employers added more jobs than estimated in November, diminishing the odds that central bankers will cut their rate benchmark by half a point tomorrow, Bloomberg News said. "The economy is

ASIAN stocks have risen for a second week after the United States government announced a plan to limit defaults on subprime mortgages, easing concern the region's largest export market will suffer a recession. Mizuho Financial Group Inc, Japan's second-largest publicly traded bank, and Bank of East Asia, Hong Kong's third largest, jumped after President George W. Bush said some borrowers will be able to refinance or freeze interest rates on adjustable-rate loans, according to Bloomberg News. Samsung Electronics Co led exporters higher following stronger-than-expected US data on productivity and jobs. The US government's measures "will stop their poor people from becoming homeless, halt the drop in property prices, and help prop up spending," said Yang Jeung Won, who oversees the equivalent of US$7.6 billion at Samsung Investment Trust Management Co in Seoul. "There are expectations that the US economy will be able to ease itself into a soft landing." The MSCI

FT.com - Tokyo shares rose strongly on optimism that the US economy would be able to avoid a recession, taking the benchmark Nikkei index to a four-week closing high.

The Dow retreats for a second straight day, falling 65.84 points, as investors worry about the housing slump. Stock prices dropped Tuesday, led again by shares of financial companies, as concern persisted that fallout from the slumping housing market could generate more banking losses and pull the economy into recession.

NEW YORK, Dec. 4 -- Wall Street wilted Tuesday as investors awaiting next week's Federal Reserve meeting remained uneasy that the fallout from the slumping housing market could bring more bank losses and drag the economy into recession.

ASIAN stocks rose for a third day, led by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc and National Australia Bank Ltd, on speculation the Federal Reserve will cut United States interest rates to bolster growth in the world's largest economy. Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd led gains by developers in Hong Kong as lower borrowing costs would spur demand for real estate. Hong Kong's interest rates typically move in step with those in the US because the currency is pegged to the greenback. Banks also climbed on speculation US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will reach a deal to stem further credit-market losses, Bloomberg News said. "There's a perception the Fed is getting ahead of the curve and as a result the US economy won't fall into recession," said Troy Angus, who helps manage the equivalent of US$3.5 billion at Paradice Investment Management Ltd in Sydney. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index added 0.2 percent to 162.21 at 6:33pm in Tokyo. Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 0.3

EUROPEAN stocks had their biggest weekly gain last Friday since June on speculation the United States Federal Reserve will lower interest rates to prevent credit-market losses from dragging the world's biggest economy into a recession. "The situation is serious enough to expect further rate cuts," said Guenther Gerstenberger, a fund manager at Germany-based PEH Wertpapier AG, which oversees the equivalent of US$5.5 billion. "In the medium term we'll see strong equity markets." Commodity stocks rose the most in 10 weeks, led by BHP Billiton Ltd, Anglo American Plc and Rio Tinto Group. Barclays Plc and Commerzbank AG paced an advance of financial stocks after strategic buyers from emerging-market countries bought stakes in Citigroup Inc, the biggest US bank, and Fortis of Belgium, Bloomberg News reported. The Dow Jones Stoxx 600 Index added 3.5 percent to 370.36 last week. Still, the gauge dropped 4.7 percent in November for the worst monthly performance since

A full-blown dollar collapse would be disastrous. Thankfully, it need not happen THE weather may be cold and wet, but in the rich world's financial markets it is beginning to feel like August all over again. Credit spreads have widened and shares are pitching from gloom to elation as investors look to the Federal Reserve for solace. The anxiety is unmistakable. But this time the scare is about more than bad mortgage loans and their baleful effect on the credit markets. America may be falling into recession. And a new fear now stalks the markets: that the dollar's slide could spin out of control (see article). A full-blown dollar crisis on top of a credit crunch and a weakening economy would be frightening. It would send financial markets reeling and tie the hands of the Fed, perhaps forcing it to raise interest rates even as recession looms. The sky-high euro would soar further, choking off Europe's growth. Political tensions would also rise. Already Airbus has called the dollar's decline "life-threatening" and France's president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has given warning of "economic war". ...

EUROPEAN stocks capped the longest streak of weekly losses since August after the Federal Reserve cut its United States growth forecast, fueling concern the world's largest economy is sliding into recession. Porsche AG, which relies on the US for more than a third of its sales, paced declines by exporters as the American currency dropped to a record low against the euro. UBS AG led a retreat in bank shares on speculation the worst of the credit-market turmoil is not over. Mining stocks fell with metal prices. The Dow Jones Stoxx 600 Index dropped 1.4 percent to 357.74, the fourth straight week of losses. The benchmark has lost 11 percent since reaching a 6 1/2-year high on June 1, on concern defaults among US mortgage borrowers with the poorest credit profiles will hurt economic growth and corporate earnings, Bloomberg News said. "The situation is getting worse with oil and credit problems weighing on equity markets," said Wolfram Mrowetz, who manages the equivalent of

ASIAN stocks rose, reversing earlier declines, on speculation minutes from a Federal Reserve meeting will show the United States economy, the region's biggest overseas market, can weather a slump in values of homes and subprime mortgages. Some shares also climbed on expectations declines this month didn't reflect regional companies' earnings prospects. Mitsui & Co, which lost a fifth of its value in November, advanced. CNOOC Ltd led gains among energy stocks as oil prices rose. "Is subprime going to drag the US economy into recession? I don't think so," said Mona Chung, who helps manage US$2.5 billion at Daiwa Asset Management Ltd in Hong Kong. "Some shares have already dropped to very attractive levels." The Morgan Stanley Capital International Asia Pacific Index added 0.3 percent to 158.05 at 6:47pm in Tokyo, rallying from an earlier decline of as much as 2.6 percent. The index is still down 7.8 percent this month. Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average

EUROPEAN stocks slumped to their lowest in almost two months last week, paced by commodity producers as metal and oil prices fell. Boliden AB, Europe's third-biggest copper refiner, and Anglo American Plc, the world's second-largest miner, led commodity stocks lower. Porsche AG dropped as the weak US dollar hurt the value of US sales translated into euros. "The picture is dimming for commodity stocks," said Herbert Perus, who helps oversee the equivalent of US$57 billion as head of global equities at Raiffeisen Capital Management in Vienna. "The word recession is heard more and more often from the US. It's a very sentiment-driven market with a lot of scared investors." The Dow Jones Stoxx 600 Index declined 1.3 percent last week. The benchmark has fallen nine percent since reaching a 6 1/2-year high on June 1 because of concern defaults among US mortgage borrowers with the poorest credit profiles will hurt the rest of the economy. "It's reasonable to

HONG Kong's stocks yesterday rose the most in more than two months after better-than-estimated earnings at Wal-Mart Stores Inc eased concern that the United States economy is headed for a recession. Li & Fung Ltd, a Wal-Mart supplier, jumped the most in almost two weeks. HSBC Holdings Plc, which generated 31 percent of its revenue last year in North America, climbed after Goldman Sachs Group Inc said it doesn't plan to take significant writedowns on mortgage-related assets. "We've got pretty good corporate news that came out from the US, and Wal-Mart definitely helps," said Tat Auyeung, who oversees US$400 million at Apex Capital Management in Hong Kong. "Investors are trying to bargain hunt." The Hang Seng Index climbed 1,362.66, or 4.9 percent, to 29,166.01, the biggest move among markets included in global benchmarks, said Bloomberg News. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, which tracks 43 H shares of Chinese companies listed in Hong Kong, rose 6.8

ASIAN markets fell sharply today as traders took their cues from Wall Street, where shares fell Friday amid renewed concerns about US mortgage problems. Hong Kong's benchmark index dropped as much as 4.6 percent, while Japan's main index lost as much as 3.8 percent and South Korea's Kospi fell as much as 4.5 percent. "Basically, the supbrime loan issue still drags on, and there is no prospect of what can end the problem," said Shinichi Ichikawa, chief strategist at Credit Suisse. "As for the US economy, the risk of recession is increasing toward the next year," which, combined with higher oil prices, prompts players to sell the dollar, he said. Japanese traders sold exporter issues on a strengthening yen, which is at its highest levels against the dollar since May 2006. Automaker Honda fell 3.58 percent and rival Toyota shed 2.76 percent. Sony dropped 2.61 percent. At the close, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index was at 15,197.09 points, down 2.48

EUROPEAN stocks declined last week after UBS AG, the region's biggest bank, posted its first quarterly loss in almost five years and Credit Suisse Group reported its first profit drop in a year. Fortis sank after UBS advised investors to sell the shares. "We're not very optimistic," said Roland Lescure, chief investment officer at Groupama Asset Management in Paris, which oversees US$130 billion. "Profits are clearly slowing and that's going to hurt stocks." Boliden AB and Antofagasta Plc led copper producers lower after saying output slid. The Dow Jones Stoxx 600 Index fell one percent last week. The measure has dropped 5.1 percent since reaching a 6 1/2-year high on June 1 on concern defaults among US borrowers with the poorest credit profiles will hurt the rest of the economy, Blomberg News said. "Risks are many," said Groupama's Lescure. "There's the risk on banks' balance sheets due to the financial crisis. There's the recession risk

US energy and computer companies rallied, carrying the Standard & Poor's 500 Index to its third advance on Friday, after a better-than-expected jobs report outweighed concern banks face mounting credit losses. Schlumberger Ltd and Halliburton Co, the biggest oilfield services companies, gained as oil rose to a record US$95.93 a barrel. Apple Inc, Google Inc and Intel Corp climbed on prospects employment growth will increase consumer spending, helping the US economy avoid a recession. Merrill Lynch & Co led financial shares to their steepest two-day loss since 2002 as the market completed its second weekly decline in two months. The S&P 500 rose 1.21, or 0.1 percent, to 1,509.65 on Friday, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 27.23, or 0.2 percent, to 13,595.1 and the Nasdaq Composite Index added 15.55, or 0.6 percent, to 2,810.38. About 18 stocks gained for every 17 that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. "Energy, technology - they have ties back to strong

The UK economy faces its first recession for 16 years, with both the property market and shares at risk of a serious slump, banks have warned