Pakistani rice prices were steady over the past week, but dealers said prices could come down in coming weeks because of low exports and rising stocks.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday praised Pakistan's impressive economic growth after meeting Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz here and said this would encourage companies from Norway to invest more in the country.
The Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX) said its eastern market indicator (EMI) fell five cents at sales on Tuesday. AWEX said its northern indicator (Sydney) slid six cents to 651c/kg, with the southern indicator (Melbourne) down three cents to 636c/kg. Ther
Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday praised Pakistan's impressive economic growth after meeting Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz here and said this would encourage companies from Norway to invest more in the country.
US cocoa futures fell more than 2 percent on Monday from a recent 2-1/2-month peak amid trade profit-taking, swelling bean arrival estimates and improving political conditions in top cocoa producer Ivory Coast, market sources said.
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) will soon announce procedure for releasing funds on real time basis as well as disclose new mechanism for checking downward capping of shares prices.
Ukraine's sugar refineries have increased white beet sugar output by about seven percent to 1.84 million tonnes so far this year compared with 1.73 million at the same date in 2004, producers said on Tuesday.
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) will soon announce procedure for releasing funds on real time basis as well as disclose new mechanism for checking downward capping of shares prices.
RAM has reaffirmed the respective long- and short-term ratings of AAA and P1 for Nestle Foods (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd's ("Nestle Foods") RM700 million Al-Murabahah Commercial Papers/Medium-Term Notes Programme (2003/2010) ("CP/MTN"), with a stable outlook.
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) will soon announce procedure for releasing funds on real time basis as well as disclose new mechanism for checking downward capping of shares prices.
RAM has reaffirmed the respective long- and short-term ratings of AAA and P1 for Nestle Foods (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd's ("Nestle Foods") RM700 million Al-Murabahah Commercial Papers/Medium-Term Notes Programme (2003/2010) ("CP/MTN"), with a stable outlook.
US coffee futures ended on positive ground on Monday, thanks to scale-down roaster buying and speculative short covering from a new two-month low hit in the session, market sources said.
Indonesia has asked Vietnam to delay shipping 182,000 tonnes of rice under a controversial 250,000 tonne deal, a Vietnamese food industry official said.
Late speculative selling pressed Minneapolis Grain Exchange spring wheat futures to a lower close on Monday, a move that countered gains in the session that were triggered by firm cash markets, traders said.
Tokyo gold futures closed higher on Tuesday, taking a cue from the New York market, but a flurry of bargain hunting trimmed the market's gains and pulled the benchmark contract off a 15-year peak.
US copper futures finished with healthy gains on Monday, as some funds continued the buying trend of last week, although most participants sat on the sidelines after last week's steep run-up to record levels, traders said.
US gold futures stretched up to a new 23-year peak on Monday, as investors snapped up more of the precious metal due to inflation worries and amid increased diversification into commodities, dealers said.
Spot gold prices soared above $510 an ounce on Tuesday, their highest since January 1980, buoyed by continued fund buying on inflation worries and increased diversification into commodities, dealers said.
Shanghai copper futures closed up slightly in sluggish trade on Tuesday as an upcoming spot copper auction by China's State Reserves Bureau sidelined many investors and offset the impact of firmer prices in London.
Oil prices paused below $60 in early Tuesday trading, but analysts expected fresh upward assaults as an extended chill in the US Northeast fires demand in the world's biggest heating oil market.
The area under oilseeds in India, to be harvested in the summer months, has shown a marked rise over a year ago mainly because of increased sowing of rapeseed and sunflower, the farm ministry said on Tuesday.
Raw sugar prices rose on Monday to end at their highest level in nearly 10 years as fund buying and news the US will increase its sugar import quota sparked a rally in the sweetener that shows no signs of abating, brokers said.
Soyabean futures at the Chicago Board of Trade closed higher on Monday amid technical fund buying, firm cash markets and commercial bull-spreading, traders said.
Canada's official report on the 2005 grain harvest, due on Wednesday, is unlikely to have much effect on commodities markets because a big crop has already been factored into prices, traders said.
Indonesia sold some tyre-grade SIR20 rubber to Singapore dealers on Tuesday, but trading was muted in other producing countries in Southeast Asia despite expectations of more buying by China.
The European Central Bank told euro zone finance ministers at a Monday dinner that its interest rate rise last week was not one of a series, replying to concerns that further hikes would damage the nascent economic recovery.
Microsoft Corp said on Tuesday it would set up 30 new innovation centres around the world, adding to its existing 60, in partnership with local governments, academic institutions and industry organisations.
US business productivity grew swiftly in the third quarter and factory orders rebounded in October, the government said on Tuesday, suggesting a robust economy with little price pressure outside of energy costs.
A majority of people in the United States and most of Europe's big countries believe free trade cuts local jobs and mainly benefits multinationals and economies such as China and India, a survey showed on Tuesday.
A proposed deal by global trade ministers to give duty-free access to the world's poorest nations may not be accepted by the US Congress if it does not open up new markets for American farmers, a top US senator said on Tuesday.
Mobile phone equipment maker Ericsson has signed its biggest ever managed services deal with British operator 3 UK, the Swedish company said on Tuesday.
China's economy is likely to grow 9.2 percent in 2006, riding on export growth of over 20 percent and investment growth of 20 percent, the China Securities Journal on Tuesday quoted a senior government economist as saying.
EU finance ministers failed to agree Tuesday on a list of services to benefit from exceptionally low value added tax, with the incoming German government blocking a deal particularly important to France.
British manufacturing output unexpectedly fell at its sharpest pace in seven months in October, putting pressure on finance minister Gordon Brown's new economic growth forecasts.
UK bank HBOS Plc said on Tuesday it planned to wipe out its 1.8 billion pound pension deficit and its 2005 earnings were likely to beat market expectations due to cost controls and growth at its insurance and investment units.
As the World Bank prepared to approve its first guarantee for an investment in Iran, the United States lobbied hard to convince other member countries to oppose the move.
Australia's trade deficit improved 15 percent in October as strong global demand for commodities boosted exports and softening consumer demand slowed import growth, economists said Tuesday.
Global banking giant HSBC formally launched Tuesday a 31-million-dollar call centre in Sri Lanka as violence flared in the north of the island, officials said.
German manufacturing orders rose much more than expected in October, boosted by an above-average number of big-ticket items and as the weaker euro helped underpin foreign demand, preliminary data showed on Tuesday.
ITV, Britain's biggest commercial TV network, on Tuesday snapped up Friends Reunited for 175 million pounds (258 million euros, 304 million dollars) from the website group's founders and employees.
Deutsche Bank looks well placed to cash in on a Russian IPO boom expected to accelerate dramatically in 2006, thanks to the local bank buyout it announced late on Monday.
Deutsche Bank looks well placed to cash in on a Russian IPO boom expected to accelerate dramatically in 2006, thanks to the local bank buyout it announced late on Monday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to Malaysia next week as part of the first Russia-Asean summit and to take part as a guest at the regular East Asian summit, the Kremlin said Tuesday.
Uzbekistan in March will sign a production sharing agreement worth nearly one billion dollars (849 million euros) with Russian energy giant Gazprom to develop gas fields in the west of the Central Asian country, the deputy head of the state energy company
Brunei's oil-based economy expanded 1.7 percent in the June quarter from a year ago, with a drop in production offset by the hefty increase in crude prices, the government said Tuesday.
Malaysia said Tuesday it has approved nine licences to build bio-diesel plants here, including to foreign investors, as demand for alternative fuel rises amid skyrocketing oil prices.
Malaysian share prices closed flat on Tuesday in quiet trade amid an absence of market-stimulating leads and following another poor lead from Wall Street overnight, dealers said.
Hong Kong stocks ended lower on Tuesday following a decline in overseas markets after crude oil prices rebounded, sparking worry that higher energy costs will crimp consumer spending and raise business costs.
US stocks declined on Monday after the price of crude oil rebounded, briefly hitting a one-month high above $60 a barrel and pushing shares of retailers and industrial companies lower, while semiconductors fell on concerns about profits.
Singapore share prices closed 1.04 percent lower on Tuesday on profit-taking in blue chips led by phone giant Singapore Telecommunications, dealers said.
US Treasury debt prices fell on Monday after a strong reading on the huge US service sector gave the market no evidence to support the idea that the Federal Reserve needed to stop raising interest rates.
US Treasury debt prices fell on Monday after a strong reading on the huge US service sector gave the market no evidence to support the idea that the Federal Reserve needed to stop raising interest rates.
Taiwan stocks closed flat on Tuesday as a warning from Goldman Sachs about oversupply in the display panel industry dragged down the shares of manufacturers like AU Optronics Corp.
Philippines share prices closed 0.81 percent lower on Tuesday on a pick up in political tensions and higher-than-expected inflation in November, dealers said.
Indonesian share prices closed 0.25 percent higher on Tuesday, after a cabinet reshuffle raised hopes for the economy and Bank Indonesia delivered a rate hike in line with expectations, dealers said.
Japan's Nikkei share average dropped 0.82 percent on Tuesday as Advantest Corp and other technology shares were sold on concern that their prices had risen too rapidly during the benchmark's run to a five-year high.
China's shares closed up 0.8 percent on Tuesday as investors sought bargains among index heavyweights such as Baoshan Iron and Steel Co Ltd and China United Telecommunications Corp.
Thai share prices soared 2.92 percent on Tuesday due to an easing of political tensions, a significant gain in the energy sector and positive third quarter economic figures, dealers said.
Interbank buy/sell rates for the taka against the dollar on Tuesday. 65.95-66.00 (previous 65.87-65.93). Call Money Rates: 5.15-13.25 percent (previous 6.50-13.25 percent).
China's yuan strengthened to close at a post-revaluation high of 8.0780 to the dollar on Tuesday as the central bank stayed out of the market, dealers said.
The Swiss franc inched higher against the dollar and the euro early on Tuesday as dealers scanned markets for fresh impulses ahead of a Swiss interest rate decision next week, set to make the franc dearer.
The yen sank to an all-time low against the euro and hit multi-year troughs versus a host of high-yielding currencies on Tuesday as investors eyed the yawning interest rate gap between Japan and other nations.
The dollar sagged against major European currencies on Monday, pushed down after its inability in the last three weeks to hit new highs against the euro triggered a bout of profit-taking.
The Hong Kong dollar softened on Tuesday but demand for a series of share offerings in the territory provided support. The local currency hit a session low of 7.7550 before pulling back to 7.7542/43 per US dollar softer than 7.7535/38 in late Asian trade
Asian currencies were broadly firm against the dollar on Tuesday, boosted by gains in regional equities and optimism about economic growth in the region.
New Zealand believes it can save the one-day cricket series against Australia here on Wednesday following a dismal showing in the first of the three-match series.
South Africa's batting was ripped apart here on Tuesday by a Western Australian bowling attack which has struggled in the Australian domestic competition this season and included a player drafted from club level.
England one-day specialist Vikram Solanki has praised Shoaib Akhtar for reinventing himself as a lethal Test bowler in the series triumph over England.
Armed Basque separatist group ETA exploded five small bombs on motorways around Madrid on Saturday as Spain celebrated the 27th anniversary of its constitution with a ceremony in the parliament building.
Love may be in the air but it is no longer in the mail, according to a new competition to revive the lost art of love letter writing. Run for the first time last year in the United States when it attracted 5,000 entries, philanthropist Henri Zimand's comp
Britain's opposition Conservatives chose David Cameron as their new leader on Tuesday, opting for youth to revive their fortunes and challenge Prime Minister Tony Blair after three successive election defeats.
An artist who dismantled a wooden shack, converted it into a paddle boat and sailed it before turning it back into a shack was Monday awarded Britain's most prestigious - and often controversial - art award, the Turner Prize.
Eleven Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, including former US President Jimmy Carter, have joined with a labour group in urging full recognition of worker's rights in the lead-up to International Human Rights Day on Saturday.
Israel launched a military clampdown in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday in the opening stages of what it vowed would be a harsh response to a Palestinian suicide bombing that killed five Israelis.
Former Indian foreign minister Natwar Singh resigned Tuesday from the cabinet in the wake of charges that he and the ruling Congress party skimmed the UN oil-for-food scheme in Iraq.
Researchers from the WWF conservation group may have made the extremely rare discovery of a new species of mammal in the dense forests of central Borneo, the organisation said Tuesday.
The European Commission said on Tuesday it would seriously consider drafting new rules to force European Union member states to open up their jealously guarded defence markets.
European ministers meeting at a two-day conference of the European Space Agency (ESA) have agreed to prioritise European satellite launchers over cheaper options in other countries, ESA officials told AFP on Tuesday.
Members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Tuesday confirmed their support for a provisional 2003 accord that allowed poor countries to import generic drugs to treat infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS, the WTO said.
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has accepted a broad UN offer of food aid but is still opposed to an emergency shelter scheme for victims of a government urban slum demolition campaign, the United Nations said Tuesday.
A US rights group on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the CIA on behalf of a German man whose secret detention dominated talks between German and US leaders.
Sri Lanka on Tuesday accused Tamil Tiger rebels of unleashing a "stealth war" after seven soldiers were blown up in a mine blast in the troubled north, bringing the death toll since the weekend to 27.
Russia and India paved the way for intensified defence co-operation Tuesday as Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Vladimir Putin talked up a "strategic partnership" between the two Soviet-era allies in Moscow.
Maids in Singapore suffer serious abuses including sexual violence, food deprivation and home lock-ups, a human rights group said Tuesday, sparking a strong denial from the government.
North Korea on Tuesday threatened to boycott six-way nuclear disarmament talks unless the United States lifted financial sanctions imposed on the impoverished Stalinist state.
A policeman, a military driver and two civilians were killed and an Afghan general was wounded in two separate attacks by suspected Taleban rebels in Afghanistan, officials said Tuesday.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in a rare concession to US critics, acknowledged on Tuesday that Washington may make mistakes in its battle against terrorism and promised to put them right if they happened.
The rupee snapped a four-session slide and bounced back from the previous session's 15-month closing low on Tuesday, helped by robust foreign investment in local stocks, dealers said.
Sterling fell broadly on Tuesday after unexpectedly weak manufacturing data rekindled prospects of a further British interest rate cut early next year.
The yen slid to a record low against the euro and multi-year troughs versus other high yielding currencies on Tuesday as investors moved away from the Japanese currency to chase better returns.
Trading in European corporate bonds picked up on Tuesday, with merger and acquisition concerns continuing to drive flows and putting prices under pressure for the most part.
Trading in European corporate bonds picked up on Tuesday, with merger and acquisition concerns continuing to drive flows and putting prices under pressure for the most part.
Indian share prices closed lower Tuesday on sustained profit taking in most blue chips and concern that cement sales, a leading economic indicator, may be lower than expected this month, dealers said.
Seoul shares hit an all-time high on Tuesday, lifted by hefty foreign buying of blue chips including Kookmin Bank and Hyundai Motor, amid optimism over the outlook for the local economy and corporate earnings.
Robust banking stocks drove UK stocks higher on Tuesday, led by HBOS after Britain's fourth-biggest bank said full-year earnings would beat forecasts and also helped by a strong showing from the retail sector.