Shanghai Daily: Business - shanghaidaily.com
ASIAN stocks advanced the most this month, led by technology shares, on signs sales of consumer electronics will withstand an economic slowdown in the United States, Bloomberg News reported yesterday. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, the maker of iPods and iPhones for Apple Inc, and Advantest Corp gained after Research In Motion Ltd, the maker of BlackBerrys, and Qualcomm Inc raised their profit forecasts. "Demand for electronics appeared to be holding up, easing investors' worries about tech companies' outlook," said Eric Chou, who helps manage US$1.8 billion at Jih Sun Securities Investment Trust Co in Taipei. China Life Insurance Co led the country's insurers higher after the nation's central bank raised interest rates, boosting returns on fixed-income investments. Nippon Steel Corp paced gains by steel makers on speculation demand for the alloy will boost prices. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 1.3 percent to 153.85 in Tokyo, snapping a seven-day, eight percent
SFGate: Business & Technology
The Bay Area housing market showed no signs of recovery in November, as sales fell to a nearly two-decade low and buyers still struggled to find mortgages. A total of 5,127 new and existing houses and condos traded hands last month, free-falling 36.2 percent...