REUTERS – Chinese import data pushed stock markets around the world higher on Wednesday with the S&P 500 rising to a record, while Japan’s economic stimulus package continued to weigh on the yen, sending it to multi-year lows against the dollar and euro. U.S. stocks rallied across benchmark indexes, with the Dow Jones industrial average also reaching a record. Sentiment was eroded early... 

REUTERS – The yen fell to a two-year low against the dollar on Wednesday as Japan’s new prime minister called for weakening the currency to stimulate inflation, while U.S. stocks fell, led by declines in retailers’ shares. Sales growth at U.S. retailers was projected to have fallen short of expectations during the holiday shopping season, according to preliminary estimates from... 

REUTERS – Global shares advanced on Monday, bolstered by signs of tentative progress on negotiations over the U.S. “fiscal cliff,” while a win by Japan’s conservative Liberal Democratic Party lifted the dollar to a 20-month high against the yen. The biggest moves of the day came in the currency market following a landslide election victory for Japan’s LDP on Sunday,... 

The yen fell the most in nine weeks versus the dollar as speculation the Bank of Japan (8301) will boost monetary stimulus sapped demand for the nation’s assets as a haven. The Japanese currency weakened versus all but one of its 16 most-traded counterparts as U.S. retail sales rose more than forecast in September and housing starts jumped 15 percent. The euro reached its highest level against... 

* IMF’s Lagarde backs giving Spain, Greece more time * S&P cuts Spanish rating to just above junk * Japan minister warns of economic risks from stronger yen NEW YORK, Oct 11 (Reuters) – The euro rose against the dollar for the first time in four days on Thursday after the head of the International Monetary Fund said indebted euro zone economies should have more time to cut budget deficits,... 

Tokyo and Beijing will start direct trading of their currencies on Friday, Japan’s Finance Minister Jun Azumi said on Tuesday, scrapping a system that sets yen-yuan rates via their US dollar values. The move is aimed at boosting trade and investment between the world’s second- and third-largest economies. It is the first time China has allowed a major currency other than the greenback... 

Japan said it was prepared to step into currency markets again after confirming “stealth” intervention following a single day yen sell-off of more than $100 billion in October. Japan sold a total of 1.02 trillion yen ($14 billion at Tuesday’s rate) worth of its currency over the first four days of November, according to the finance ministry data. The move followed the 8.07-trillion-yen... 

The dollar held firm against other major currencies in Asia on Monday after a much-awaited speech by US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke boosted positive sentiment. The euro bought $1.4480 in Tokyo morning trade, slightly down from $1.4490 in New York late Friday. It was almost flat at 111.10 yen. The dollar edged up to 76.73 yen from 76.65 yen and rose to 0.8101 Swiss francs from 0.8063 francs. Bernanke... 

Japanese shares lost 1.25 per cent Thursday, closing at their lowest level since March as global economic worries and a strong yen continued to encourage selling. The Nikkei index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange lost 113.50 points to 8,943.76, the lowest close since a March 15 plunge to 8,605.15 in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and a subsequent nuclear accident. The Topix index of all... 

The U.S. dollar devaluation against most other hard currencies including the Singapore dollar, the Australian dollar, the Chinese yuan or the Japanese yen has led to declining profits for exporters and costlier outbound tourism for locals. Pham Xuan Hong, vice chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association cum general director of Saigon 3 Garment Co., said local enterprises would incur more...