News reel: Economic Meltdown p2 – China / Asia

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Asian stocks tumble – The Straits Times – Jan 15, 2009

HONG KONG - ASIAN stock markets tumbled on Thursday, with Japan's benchmark sliding almost 5 per cent, on gloomy US holiday sales and renewed concerns about the banking industry.

Every market across Asian suffered steep declines, with broad-based selling hitting industries from energy to financials to exporters. A sharp drop in Japanese machinery pointed to a deepening recession in the world's No. 2 economy, while oil prices continued to fall on worries that the global economic slump will further weaken demand for crude.


China may bailout more – The Straits Times – Jan 15, 2009

BEIJING - CHINA is planning more help for its steel, textile, shipbuilding and other key industries, analysts said on Thursday, a day after the government unveiled a stimulus package for its ailing auto sector.


Chinese slowdown, serious risk for the global economy MercoPress – Jan 15, 2009

A severe economic slowdown in China is one of the biggest risks faced by the world this year, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has warned. The WEF report said a hard landing for China's economy could create domestic social tensions and put stress on the global financial system.


Foreign Direct Investment in China Falls 5.7 Percent (Update3) – Bloomberg - Jan 15, 2009

Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) – Foreign Direct Investment in China declined for a third month, adding to the toll that recessions in the U.S. and Europe are taking on the world’s third-biggest economy.

Investment fell 5.7 percent to $5.98 billion in December from a year earlier, the commerce ministry said at a briefing in Beijing today. November’s decline was 36.5 percent.


China Home Prices to Continue Falling Until 2011, DTZ Says – Bloomberg - Jan 15, 2009

Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Home prices and sales in China, which fell last year for the first time in a decade, will continue dropping until they reach a “reasonable” level and will rebound in 2011, property agency DTZ said.


Hong Kong Stocks Fall to Two-Month Low; Yue Yuen, HSBC Decline – Bloomberg - Jan 15, 2009

Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) – Hong Kong's benchmark stock index fell to the lowest in almost two months on concern slowing demand is deepening the global economic slump.


China-U.S. Ties to Get Stronger, Departing American Envoy Says – Bloomberg - Jan 15, 2009 Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) -- The economies of the U.S. and China, together generating 30 percent of the world’s gross domestic product, will become increasingly interdependent in the next 30 years, said America’s longest-serving envoy to China.


China unveils support package to auto, steel industries – Xinhua – Jan 14, 2009

· China's State Council unveiled a support package for the auto and steel sectors Wednesday.
· The gov't will lower purchase tax on cars under 1.6 liters from 10% to 5% from Jan. 20 to Dec. 31.
· The plan also urges improvements in the credit system for car purchase loans.


SKorea to miss growth forecast - The Straits Times – Jan 15, 2009

SEOUL - SOUTH Korea's economic growth this year could fall below the central bank's forecast of 2 per cent as the global recession deepens, the country's second vice finance minister said in a prepared speech on Thursday.


India’s Sensex Falls to One-Month Low; Infosys Leads Declines – Bloomberg – Jan 15, 2009

Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) -- India’s benchmark stock index fell to the lowest in more than a month. Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. and Infosys Technologies Ltd. led declines after a Canadian customer for their software services collapsed.


Satyam May Take 3 Months to Restate Accounts, Delaying Bailout – Bloomberg – Jan 15, 2009

Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) – Satyam Computer Services Ltd.'s new auditors may take three months to clear up an alleged $1 billion fraud at India's fourth-largest software exporter, delaying access to government funds.

Satyam fell 32 percent today after the government said it has no plans for a bailout until the board seeks aid. Satyam won't know how much it needs until auditors confirm assets and assess how much clients owe, director Deepak Parekh said. ``The government doesn't bail out every sick company,'' he said.


India’s Inflation Rate Falls, Paving Way for Stimulus (Update2) – Bloomberg – Jan 15, 2009

Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) -- India’s inflation slowed to an 11- month low, paving the way for further stimulus measures to bolster an economy expanding at the weakest pace in six years.