Straits Times Interactive - MONEY

Nikkei opens lower

9 Nov 2009 02:15 GMT

TOKYO - JAPANESE share prices opened lower on Monday, with the benchmark Nikkei-225 index falling 23.47 points, or 0.24 per cent, to 9,765.88 in the first minutes of trading. -- AFP

STI opens higher

9 Nov 2009 01:10 GMT

SINGAPORE shares opened higher on Monday, with the benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) up 14.17 points or 0.53 per cent to 2,672.38.

About 64.8 million shares were traded.

Banks do 'God's work'

8 Nov 2009 23:41 GMT

LONDON - THE chief executive of Goldman Sachs, which has attracted widespread media attention over the size of its staff bonuses, believes banks serve a social purpose and are doing 'God's work'.

In an interview with London's Sunday Times newspaper, Lloyd Blankfein also said he believed big profits and bonuses at banks were a sign that the world economy was recovering.

'Appropriately sized' US deficit

8 Nov 2009 22:39 GMT

SHARM EL-SHEIK (Egypt) - CHINESE premier Wen Jiabao said on Sunday he was encouraged by signs of an economic recovery in the United States, but hoped it would keep its budget deficit to an 'appropriate size' to stabilise the US dollar exchange rate.

'We follow very closely China's holdings of US assets, because that is a very important part of our national wealth,' Mr Wen told a media conference at the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, where he is attending a China-Africa cooperation summit.