Business news for Tue, 27 Nov 2007 & with word rising. 30 news.

Synear Food, a maker of popular frozen-dumpling brands, offers investors exposure to two major trends among Chinese consumers: growing disposable income and increasingly busy lifestyles.

(AP) -- The head of United Airlines said Tuesday he no longer feels like a voice in the wilderness in arguing that airlines must consider consolidation to withstand competitive challenges, including rising fuel costs. "We at United have been talking about this for the past three to four years, ...

CHINA will increase its fuel output and crack down on hoarding to bring the nation's tight oil supply back to normal, the National Development and Reform Commission said yesterday. "Since October, some areas have seen diesel in short supply due to surging global crude oil prices and rising consumption before the forthcoming winter. Some refineries are also not running at full capacity which puts more pressure on the oil supply," the NDRC said in a statement on its Website. To cope with the situation, the nation's top planner said it will get China Petrochemical Corp and China National Petroleum Corp to obtain diesel supplies from more sources and distribute them rationally. All refineries will lift their efficiency and production will run at peak capacity by delaying maintenance work and reducing the refining of industrial oil so that home, transport and public utility supplies will be guaranteed. The two dominant state oil companies will be urged to cooperate with

Rising foreclosures will drain economic activity from major metropolitan areas, says the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

With Christmas coming, U.S. consumers became more pessimistic about the economy in November, sending an important barometer of confidence to the lowest level in 2 years amid worries about rising fuel costs and a housing market slump.

CITIC Pacific Ltd, the Hong Kong arm of China's biggest state-owned investing company, plans a A$5.2 billion (US$4.57 billion) iron ore mining project in Australia to tap rising demand for the raw material from steel mills in China.

INSTANT noodle makers may make a second attempt to raise prices in Shanghai due to increasing flour costs. It comes almost three months after the country's price supervision body foiled the first price increase and accused the instant noodle makers of "price collusion." Major instant noodle manufacturers have already delivered notices to local supermarkets stating they will raise prices next month as the cost of flour keeps rising, Shanghai Morning Post reported yesterday. Supermarkets are now in talks with suppliers to settle details and may offset part of increased noodle costs according to the market situation and the expectations of consumers, the report said. Taiwan-based Ting Hsin International Group, Jin Mailang Beverage (Beijing) Co Ltd and Uni-President Enterprises Corp, three major instant noodle makers, all declined to reveal information to the newspaper about price increases. The wholesale price of flour jumped to 1,930 yuan (US$261) per ton, 150 yuan

UNITED States retailers, offering holiday discounts of 50 percent or more this week, may see profits erode even as customers flock to stores. Wal-Mart Stores Inc will mark down toys and TVs online through this week, while Kohl's Corp, the fourth-biggest US department store, sold jewelry at 60 percent off during the first days of the holiday shopping season, which started the day after Thanksgiving, so-called Black Friday. Analysts said a lack of "must-have" products in 2007 means retailers will rely on lower prices, threatening margins in the biggest quarter of the year, Bloomberg News said. Sales in November and December may increase at the slowest pace since 2002, according to the National Retail Federation, as rising fuel and food prices discourage consumers from purchasing higher-priced gifts. The NRF said shoppers each spent an average 3.5 percent less this year during the weekend after Thanksgiving. "Black Friday draws crowds, how about profits?"

CHINA may export one million vehicles a year by 2010 as car makers counter rising domestic competition with the advantage of low labor costs compared to overseas rivals. The country may sell more than 800,000 vehicles overseas next year, while auto-part exports may rise as much as 40 percent annually, Zhang Ji, deputy head of the Commerce Ministry office overseeing exports of mechanical and electrical products, said in Beijing.

CHINA'S desire for diamonds are expected to grow by double digits and demand is seen rising for big stones, an industry veteran said yesterday. The market demand for the precious stones is in line with China's economic growth, said Caroline Yuan, director of the Shanghai Diamond Exchange, yesterday. More customers are eying big stones as they see them as an investment option, she added. The market for big stones has seen supply trailing demand for two years. Diamonds of more than one carat are regarded as an investment, almost equivalent to hard currency. To tap the country's growing demand for diamonds, the Gem and Jewelry Export Promotion Council of India and the Shanghai Diamond Exchange are organizing a first-ever three-day Buyer-Seller fair in Shanghai on December 3. About 1,000 Chinese buyers are expected at the event. The value of diamonds traded on the Shanghai Diamond Exchange is expected to grow to US$1 billion this year as more dealings are set to shift from

RECESSION risks have increased amid weakness in housing and financial markets but "real America" is doing fine, a top White House official said.

Rising foreclosures will lead to billions of dollars in lost economic activity next year in the...

Reuters - Consumer confidence fell unexpectedly sharply in November to its lowest since after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 on worries about rising gas prices and financial market volatility.

Reuters - Consumer confidence fell for a fourth straight month in November to its lowest in two years on concerns about rising gas prices and financial market volatility.

A new report says rising foreclosures will lead to billions of dollars in lost economic activity next year in major U.S cities. The report also says homeowners and financial institutions can work together to contain the effects of the crisis.

Blackstone Group LP co-founder Stephen Schwarzman, in his first public appearance since selling shares of the company at the peak of the leveraged-buyout boom, said rising borrowing costs are crimping the pace of large LBOs. Private-equity firms...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc , the third-largest U.S. carrier, said on Tuesday that it increased fares by $10 one way in most domestic U.S. markets to offset rising fuel costs.

Rising foreclosures will lead to billions of dollars in lost economic activity next year in major U.S. cities, but homeowners and financial institutions have the ability to work together to contain the effects, said a report released Tuesday.

It might take a bit longer for YouTube to rule the world now that Youku.com, a video-sharing site and one of China's rising upstarts, has received another $25 million in private equity funding. China now has the fastest-growing online population worldwide. Second only to the U.S., China's 160 million Web users represent the second-largest global market.

Kent Dirks is bucking a Kansas business trend, opening an independent grocery store that's the answer to rising food bills for many Harvey County residents. Dirks and his family founded Meridian Grocery, 101 S. Meridian on Newton's west side, to bring discounted, distressed food to the area about 50 percent cheaper than retail. "It's not a get-rich-quick scheme by any means," Dirks said. "But we're a stable business, and we're only 1 year old." Successful independent grocers are a rarity in Kansas, said Marci Penner, a small-business analyst who directs the Kansas Sampler Foundation. "They're dropping like flies, but there are some really great efforts around the state," she said. "The ones that succeed find a niche that allows them to work... and it sounds like Dirks has."