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TOKYO Asian shares extended gains for a seventh day on Thursday, after the U.S. Federal Reserve took new stimulus steps to bolster the economy, pressuring the yen with expectations the Japanese central bank will follow suit with more easing next week. While stocks gained, oil and gold fell from post-Fed rallies, as investors took profits ahead of the year-end, and concerns over the U.S. budget impasse also weighed on sentiment. The upside for equities was also contained despite the Fed’s fresh dose of liquidity-pumping measures, as investors were worried the United States would miss a year-end deadline to avert the [...]

TOKYO Asian shares rose on Wednesday buoyed by strength in global equities markets, hopes of a deal from U.S. budget talks and expectations for more stimulus from the Federal Reserve when it ends its two-day policy meeting later in the day. Oil, copper and gold prices were also underpinned while the dollar remained broadly pressured, but the yen weakened against the dollar on expectations the Bank of Japan will take additional easing steps at its policy meeting next week. European shares were expected to climb, with financial spreadbetters predicting London’s FTSE 100 , Paris’s CAC-40 and Frankfurt’s DAX will open [...]

SINGAPORE Asian shares slipped on Tuesday after a plunge in U.S. manufacturing activity hit Wall Street stocks and the dollar, while the euro hovered near a six-week high on optimism over Greece’s plan to buy back debt. Declines in Asian stock markets suggested caution setting in after gains in recent weeks, with investors reluctant to chase shares higher amid continued gridlock in the U.S. Congress over proposals to avert the so-called fiscal cliff – $ 600 billion worth of tax increases and spending cuts that will be automatically triggered in early 2013. European shares were expected to open lower, U.S. [...]

SINGAPORE Asian shares slipped on Tuesday after a plunge in U.S. manufacturing activity hit American stocks and the dollar, while the euro hovered near a six-week high on optimism over Greece’s plan to buy back debt. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan <.MIAPJ0000PUS> fell 0.3 percent to 450.79, backing away from a nine-month high reached on Monday. Australian shares eased 0.5 percent, while Japan’s benchmark Nikkei share average fell 0.2 percent, declining further from a seven-month intraday high of 9,525.82 struck on Monday. The losses in Asian stock markets were suggestive of some caution after gains in the [...]

TOKYO Asian shares and the euro rose on Monday as further signs of a stabilizing Chinese economy boosted investor risk appetite, but gains were capped by worries that an impasse in U.S. budget talks could tip the world’s largest economy into recession. European shares will likely track Asian shares higher, with financial spreadbetters predicting London’s FTSE 100 , Paris’s CAC-40 and Frankfurt’s DAX to open up as much as 0.5 percent. A 0.2 percent rise in U.S. stock futures also hinted at a firm Wall Street open. The euro hit a six-week high against the dollar at $ 1.3048 on [...]

File photo of a painting by Chinese artist Zeng Fanzhi in Hong Kong.Asian art market has typically been driven by savvy investors and China’s nouveau richeChristie’s 2012 annual autumn auction in Hong Kong grossed $ 334 millionWith a market of burgeoning art buyers, artists from the region are making their markHong Kong is now the world’s third largest art market by auction salesHong Kong — Chinese artists are painting the globe red and the regional art market is no longer hostage to fickle buyers, the Asia president of auction house Christie’s told CNN.The Asian art market has typically been driven [...]

TOKYO Asian shares rose on Monday, supported by hopes U.S. politicians can overcome an imminent fiscal crunch while the yen fell to a near seven-month low against the dollar on expectations a new government chosen in next month’s election could pump large amounts of stimulus cash into the economy. A 0.2 percent gain in U.S. stock futures point to a firm Wall Street open, and financial spreadbetters predict London’s FTSE 100 , Paris’s CAC-40 and Frankfurt’s DAX will open as much as 0.9 percent higher. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan <.MIAPJ0000PUS> rose 0.5 percent, recovering from Friday’s [...]

TOKYO Asian shares and the dollar steadied on Tuesday, with investors’ reluctant to place new bets amid uncertainty over the outcome of a tight U.S. presidential election and renewed doubts over Greece’s ability to push through severe fiscal reforms. Risk-aversion underpinned the dollar near a two-month high against a basket of major currencies and bound most asset markets within tight trading ranges, with oil, gold and the euro all barely budged. U.S. stock futures indicated a slightly firmer open on Wall Street, while financial bookmakers called London’s FTSE 100, Frankfurt’s DAX and Paris’s CAC-40 to open up 0.1-0.3 percent, after [...]

TOKYO Asian shares fell on Monday and the dollar firmed as investors shied away from risk ahead of the closely fought U.S. presidential election, the result of which could define a clear direction for broader markets. U.S. stock futures suggested a firm Wall Street start, with a 0.2 percent rise, but European shares were seen falling, with financial spreadbetters expecting London’s FTSE 100 , Paris’s CAC-40 and Frankfurt’s DAX to open down as much as 0.5 percent. The political uncertainty in the world’s largest economy made investors wary of holdings riskier assets, and their safe-haven bids buoyed the U.S. dollar [...]

TOKYO Asian shares fell on Thursday but losses were curbed as the region’s factory activity surveys mostly improved, with China’s official and private sector manufacturing PMIs confirming a recovery in the growth trend even if it lacked punch. European shares were seen rising modestly. Financial spreadbetters expect London’s FTSE 100 , Paris’s CAC-40 and Frankfurt’s DAX to open as much as 0.2 percent higher. U.S. stock futures were down 0.3 percent, however, suggesting a weak Wall Street open after ending Wednesday flat in the wake of a powerful storm that caused the market’s first weather-related two-day closure since the late [...]