Asian markets slip on EU summit concerns

  • Apple CEO makes no apology for company's tax strategy

    Apple CEO makes no apology for company's tax strategy

    Apple CEO makes no apology for company's tax strategy

    By Patrick Temple-West and Kevin Drawbaugh WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook made no apology on Tuesday for the iPad maker saving billions of dollars in U.S. taxes through Irish subsidiaries and told lawmakers that his company backs corporate tax reform, even though it may end up paying more. The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has found that Apple in 2012 alone avoided paying $9 billion in U.S. taxes, using a strategy involving three offshore units with

  • US looks to end Myanmar sanctions after landmark visit

    US looks to end Myanmar sanctions after landmark visit

    US looks to end Myanmar sanctions after landmark visit

    A key US senator on Tuesday backed an end to US sanctions on Myanmar after a landmark visit by the country's reformist leader, signaling a new normalization in relations despite rights concerns.

  • Sony to assess spin-off proposal for entertainment business: Nikkei

    Sony to assess spin-off proposal for entertainment business: Nikkei

    Sony to assess spin-off proposal for entertainment business: Nikkei

    (Reuters) - Sony Corp is considering evaluating a proposal from top shareholder Third Point LLC to spin off part of its movie and music business, Japanese daily Nikkei reported. Sony's U.S. listed shares rose 9 percent on Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange. Billionaire hedge fund investor Daniel Loeb last week called on the company to spin off its lucrative entertainment arm, setting the stage for a clash between his activist Wall Street fund and management at the Japanese electronics

  • U.S. Senate panel nears completion of immigration bill

    U.S. Senate panel nears completion of immigration bill

    U.S. Senate panel nears completion of immigration bill

    By Richard Cowan and Rachelle Younglai WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate negotiators on Tuesday reached a tentative deal to ease restrictions on U.S. technology firms hiring highly skilled workers from abroad, potentially a big win for industry as efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform this year accelerated. Under the deal struck by Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch and New York Democratic Senator Charles Schumer, the Senate would back a looser formula for issuing H-1B visas that

  • Apple's Cook grilled in Congress on offshore taxes

    Apple's Cook grilled in Congress on offshore taxes

    Apple's Cook grilled in Congress on offshore taxes

    Apple chief Tim Cook faced a grilling Tuesday by US lawmakers on "sham" subsidiaries and "convoluted" strategies to shift profits offshore, but denied the company uses "gimmicks" to cut taxes.

Asian markets fell Monday on pessimism over whether a European summit this week will come up with a plan to address the region's crippling debt crisis.

Last week's announcement by the eurozone's four biggest economies to set aside more than $160 billion to boost growth had little impact on sentiment, with most of the cash coming from existing projects.

Tokyo fell 0.72 percent, or 63.73 points, to 8,734.62, Seoul dived 1.19 percent, or 22.01 points, to 1,825.38 and Sydney closed 0.50 percent, or 20.4 points, lower at 4,027.8.

Shanghai tumbled 1.63 percent, or 36.77 points, to 2,224.11 and Hong Kong closed 0.51 percent, or 97.68 points, lower at 18,897.45.

Attention has turned to the meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, where leaders will try to come up with a plan to support weaker economies and avoid a potentially catastrophic economic collapse.

The talks come as debt woes have spread from Greece to Spain, which is enveloped by a banking and economic crisis, while Italy is also in danger of succumbing.

But despite so much at stake there are concerns the differences between leaders on the best way forward -- with powerhouse Germany almost alone in arguing for austerity -- will mean no concrete or effective plan is agreed.

"We suspect investors will walk away disappointed once again," said Standard Chartered in a note.

"We expect the pressure on both Europe and its financial system to resume, encouraging further depreciation of the euro," it said, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

On Friday, Germany, France, Italy and Spain -- the four biggest economies in the eurozone -- agreed measures worth up to 130 billion euros ($163 billion) to tackle the debt crisis.

French President Francois Hollande said the leaders had agreed to mobilise "one percent of European GDP, that is 120 to 130 billion euros, to support growth" -- a move Germany's Angela Merkel hailed as "an important signal".

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said the four leaders had agreed that boosting growth in the eurozone was key to restoring confidence.

The measures include a capital injection for the European Investment Bank, the redirection of some unspent EU regional funds and "project bonds" to finance infrastructure works.

However, much of the money comes from already existing programmes.

In early European forex trade the euro bought $1.2485 and 99.70 yen, down from $1.2569 and 101.10 yen in New York late Friday. The dollar weakened to 79.85 yen from 80.43 yen.

On Wall Street Friday the Dow gained 0.53 percent, the S&P 500 climbed 0.72 percent and the tech-rich Nasdaq 1.17 percent.

On oil markets Monday New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in August, fell 44 cents to $79.32 a barrel in the late afternoon and Brent North Sea crude for August lost 54 cents to $90.34.

Gold was at $1,569.01 an ounce at 1050 GMT, compared with $1,568.20 late Friday.

In other markets:

-- Singapore closed down 0.45 percent, or 12.83 points, at 2,815.26.

Singapore Telecom gained 1.27 percent to Sg$3.20 while Keppel Corp fell 1.09 percent to Sg$9.99.

-- Taipei fell 0.77 percent, or 55.67 points, to 7,166.38.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company ended 0.62 percent lower at Tw$79.6 while leading smartphone maker HTC lost 1.94 percent to finish at Tw$378.5.

-- Manila closed 0.92 percent, or 47.13 points, up at 5,167.20.

Philippine Long Distance Telephone was up 4.88 percent at 2,624 pesos while Alliance Global Group gained 0.67 percent to 12 pesos.

-- Wellington closed flat, edging up 1.93 points to 3,401.13.

Telecom was up 0.41 percent to NZ$2.47 and Fletcher Building off 0.17 percent at NZ$5.98.

-- Jakarta fell 0.82 percent, or 31.93 points, to 3,857.59.

-- Bangkok closed 0.48 percent, or 5.48 points, lower at 1,147.43.

Banpu fell 2.23 percent to 438.00 baht, while PTT dropped 1.27 percent to 310.00 baht.

-- Kuala Lumpur was almost unchanged, nudging up 0.05 points to 1,603.12.

Coal miner Bumi Resources fell 9.1 percent to 1,100 rupiah, nickel miner Vale Indonesia slid 3.0 percent to 2,425 rupiah and cement maker Indocement declined 0.89 percent to 16,700 rupiah.

-- Mumbai was down 0.53 percent or 90.35 points to 16,882.16.

India's largest private aluminium producer Hindalco fell 2.35 percent to 114.5 rupees while the largest commercial bank State Bank of India fell 1.94 percent to 2,114.9.

Loading...

Editor’s note:Yahoo! Philippines encourages responsible comments that add dimension to the discussion. No bashing or hate speech, please. You can express your opinion without slamming others or making derogatory remarks.

Odd Stories

  • A gnome grows in Chelsea - at the flower show, that is

    A gnome grows in Chelsea - at the flower show, that is

    Reuters - 23 hours ago
    A gnome grows in Chelsea - at the flower show, that is

    By Paul Casciato LONDON (Reuters) - Some spectators at London's Chelsea Flower Show wouldn't be caught dead with one in the trunk of their Bentley, but garden gnomes have turned up at the show's 100th edition this year, for charity. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), which runs Chelsea in the grounds of the Christopher Wren-built Royal Hospital Chelsea, has lifted a ban on the ceramic figures with floppy hats and beards in order to raise funds for an RHS charity that supports the use of

  • Marijuana waste helps turn pot-eating pigs into tasty pork roast

    Marijuana waste helps turn pot-eating pigs into tasty pork roast

    Reuters - Tue, May 21, 2013
    Marijuana waste helps turn pot-eating pigs into tasty pork roast

    By Jonathan Kaminsky OLYMPIA, Washington (Reuters) - With Washington state about to embark on a first-of-its-kind legal market for recreational marijuana, the budding ranks of new cannabis growers face a quandary over what to do with the excess stems, roots and leaves from their plants. Susannah Gross, who owns a five-acre farm north of Seattle, is part of a group experimenting with a solution that seems to make the most of marijuana's appetite-enhancing properties - turning weed waste into pig

  • Jon Stewart's humor a hit with millions of envious Chinese

    Jon Stewart's humor a hit with millions of envious Chinese

    Reuters - Mon, May 20, 2013
    Jon Stewart's humor a hit with millions of envious Chinese

    By Jane Lee SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Humor may not always translate well, but Jon Stewart is picking up millions of fans in China, where his gloves-off political satire is refreshing for many in a country where such criticism is a rarity - especially when directed at their own leaders. A recent segment on North Korea scored over 4 million views on microblogger Sina Weibo, and even stodgy state broadcaster CCTV has used Stewart's "The Daily Show" in a report, though they wouldn't let a Chinese

  • Winning ticket for $590.5 million Powerball lottery sold in Florida

    Winning ticket for $590.5 million Powerball lottery sold in Florida

    Reuters - Mon, May 20, 2013
    Winning ticket for $590.5 million Powerball lottery sold in Florida

    By Brendan O'Brien (Reuters) - A single winning ticket for a record Powerball lottery jackpot worth $590.5 million was sold in Florida, organizers said late on Saturday, but there was no immediate word about who won one of the largest jackpots in U.S. history. The winning numbers from Saturday night's drawing were: 10, 13, 14, 22 and 52, with a Powerball number of 11. The odds of winning were put at 1 in 175 million. The winning ticket was sold at a Publix supermarket in Zephyrhills, a suburb

  • Germans blame euro zone crisis for Eurovision debacle

    Germans blame euro zone crisis for Eurovision debacle

    Reuters - Sun, May 19, 2013
    Germans blame euro zone crisis for Eurovision debacle

    BERLIN (Reuters) - Germans lamented their unexpectedly poor showing at the Eurovision Song Contest, blaming Chancellor Angela Merkel's tough stance in the euro zone crisis for their failure to win any points from 34 of the 39 countries voting. Denmark's Emmelie de Forest won the event, watched by around 125 million people across Europe, with 281 points while German act Cascada was 21st out of 26 countries, getting just 18 points from Austria, Israel, Spain, Albania and Switzerland. ...

  • Chinese, Taiwanese nationals with computer gadgets held VERA Files - The Inbox

    By LEILANIE ADRIANO, VERA Files LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte– At least 40 Chinese and 12 Taiwanese nationals who were found with several electronic and computer gadgets and accessories in a resort in Vigan were rounded up and detained for questioning, … Continue reading →

  • Ramos urges neutral probe of Taiwan incident, reminds Pinoys of Contemplacion case VERA Files - The Inbox

    By Ellen Tordesillas, VERA Files MAKASSAR, Indonesia—Former President Fidel V. Ramos has recommended the creation of a neutral investigation on the May 9 encounter between a Philippine patrol ship and Taiwanese fishing vessel in the disputed maritime boundary that resulted … Continue reading →

  • FVR leads call for reduction of budget for lethal weapons VERA Files - The Inbox

    By Ellen Tordesillas, VERA Files MAKASSAR, Indonesia—Former President Fidel V. Ramos Monday called on rich countries to reduce their budget for deadly weapons and realign resources for public safety, including navigation in the disputed waters in the South China Sea. … Continue reading →

  • Activism in art the Carlos Celdran way VERA Files - The Inbox

    By Matthew Reysio-Cruz, VERA Files The whole nation wondered who he was. Sporting a black overcoat and top hat, performer and tourist guide Carlos Celdran stood before a group of bishops at the Manila Cathedral in September 2010 holding up … Continue reading →

  • Basketball, brotherhood, and beating a bleeding disease VERA Files - The Inbox

    By Lean Carlo Macoto, VERA Files Like the vast majority of Filipino men, Raymund Nanos is a huge basketball fan. His favorite sport is basketball. His favorite pastime is watching basketball. Those who don’t know him would probably think he … Continue reading →

POLL
Loading...
Poll Choice Options