for now, the nikkei and topix slightly mixed this thursday morning. back to you. >> all right, looks like the nikkei and topix are in negative territory. ramin from the tokyo stock exchange. >>> looking now at the movements in the european government bond market, the price of the portuguese hit a ten-year low. the price climbed to the 15% level at one point, selling pressure increased on portugal's sovereign debt. the country received a bailout package last year. meanwhile, the ten-year bond yield of italy traded at the lower 6% level, while spain's was at the lower 5% level. >>> all right, let's get a check on where markets are this hour. >>> and that is the latest in business, back to catherine now. >> thanks very much, ai. let's go to bangkok to find out what's making headlines in the region. >>> myanmar's foreign minister said the government is fully committed to the path of democratic reform. his comments came during an official visit to india on wednesday. >> myanmar has entered into a new era, the new constitutional government is pursuing the n

nikkei down marginally, topix down 2. the nikkei ended lower yesterday for the third straight day. so we're looking for a fourth straight day if it keeps going like this. also with continued jitters around the eurozone, the yen gained. we may see further selling for exporters. as you said, earnings a big focus in japan. this week, big names like sony and honda and some major banks. yesterday after the bell we had canon coming out saying they posted a net profit for the year, and also expecting net profit for the remainder of this year, even with the dollar yen around 75 yen and euro yen around 100 yen. we're going to keep tabs on that sector as well. fuji film said net profits fell by around 50% in the quarter ending december. however, it is also proposing a capital tie-up, pretty interesting, with olympus. we'll keep track of that development as well. let's look at some of the currency levels this tuesday morning. concerns about bond yields in eurozone countries especially portugal caused the euro to weaken against the dollar. you can see the euro yen 100.28-33. it was trading 101

let's go to the nikkei and topix. the nikkei up over 100 points in the first few minutes of trading. a quick look back at 2011. the nikkei was down 17% on the year. still has a lot of way to make back to come back from those levels. the u.s. markets also with the dow up 5.5% on the year. nasdaq was down 2%. the s&p was unchanged. the volatility due to the eurozone and currency markets is not likely to go away soon. a lot of focus there on bond yields in europe and a lot of bond options coming up in january will still be a focus as well. let's have a look at the currency levels here as well this wednesday morning in tokyo trading time. 76 to 77. the euro holding from 10 to 15. on january 2nd, while the stock markets were closed, the euro hit 98 to 99. a lot of exporters sharply in battle with that stronger yen. many of them had to revise lower their assumed exchange rates. ai. >> we have key events this week. what do we have? >> reporter: the main one coming on friday, which is the united states jobs report. we already

nikkei closed at a four week low with the u.s. markets off monday, may see a tight trade ranging day today. nevertheless, following standard and poors downgrade of the eurozone bailout fund known as the efsf, we may see up side capped there. we will see how the day proceeds. also, talking about currencies and the euro, let's have another look at some of the crosses there. the dollar yen and euro yen, euro yen as you mention, 97.31-36, but did trade lower than that. it did hit fresh 11 year lows yesterday. we saw a negative impact on japan's blue chip exporters with heavy exposure to markets like canon, con i ka, minimum oath a. with the u.s. or a short week, the focus remains on earnings there. and we're going to have key names like microsoft, google, intel, and manufacturing and housing data is due out later this week. investors may stay sidelined ahead of those. also, we have china's gdp numbers, and although we have seen considerable growth, in recent quarters, a slight slow down, may be a little focus there for major japanese

let's look at the levels this monday morning for nikkei and topix. trading lower on monday, down 25 points for the nikkei, down 1.7 for topix. nikkei ended slightly lower friday, but let's not forget it is still up 4.5% so far this january, and we have a couple trading days left. earnings is going to be a major focus in japan this week, sony, panasonic, sharp, hi tach ee, honda, to name a few blue chip japanese stocks to look for earnings. we had earnings from nintendo and nec last week, both posting losses and both ending the week sharply lower. so it is going to be a big focus earnings for japan. let's not forget in the u.s., earnings are going on and key data due out for the housing, manufacturing, and then that all important unemployment and jobs numbers friday. that's going to be a big focus. also, we may see the filing of an ipo, initial public offering for facebook this week, so we'll look for that as well. in europe, fitch rating agency downgraded the credit rating of spain, belgium and italy. that caused a little jit erin the currency market

the nikkei average closed at 8,560, up 104 points or 1.24% in the last trading session of 2011. replaced across the board following overnight gains on wall street. the market lifted by a strong u.s. manufacturing data for december released on tuesday. market sources say, however, that the advance in tokyo was capped. many investors sidelined partly due to a rise against the dollar. >>> now public reactions on the nikkei's rise on the first trading day of the year. >> translator: i don't think share prices will rise, because of the strong yen. but personally, i do hope this year will be a better one than last. >> translator: i want the momentum to carry on and push the index up to 10,000. i also want to see the european debt crisis solved, and the japanese economy pick up. >>> an analyst at mitsubishi morgan stanley security shared his perspectives on the japanese economy. >> translator: we may see a further advance in the yen, and that will pressure company earnings. if the european crisis cannot be resolved, i expect turmoil again in the global stock markets and the world econo

nikkei down over 100 points in the first few minutes of trading. we see how the weaker euro effects key japanese companies with further exposure to europe, for instance, office equipment maker canon. some other areas we are going to focus on, we had november machinery orders that came out before the bell here, and that showed it was up 14.8% on the month, and that's the first gain in three months. so economic data out for japan just before the bell, ai? >> ramin, we will be covering the euro down grades. what other things are we watching this week? >> important data from china tuesday. gdp numbers, a lot of japanese companies heavily invested in china. the auto sector, construction machinery sector, the tech sector and retail sector, so they're keen to see if growth in china will continue or if it is going to fall back a touch. let's not forget heavy earnings season in the u.s. in full swing. jp morgan chase friday showing a drop in profits, this week, goldman, sachs and citigroup, and microsoft, google, intel. a lot for investors to take in. down

the nikkei did end lower yesterday. let's not forget. but let me actually add it's been up over 4% so far this january. so the positive momentum does continue overall. signs of weakness in new home sales in the u.s. was enough to push the dow into the negative into the close, but if you look at the leading indicators and also the four-week average of jobless unemployment claims, benefits, they do suggest still a bit of an improvement in the u.s. economy as we head into 2012. now, here in japan earnings season is in full swing. yesterday after the bell we had earnings from nec and lp all posting losses. nec came out and said it's going to cut around 10,000 jobs globally. we're going to keep track of all of those stocks and nintendo trading lower as well this morning following earnings from yesterday. next week we'll hear from sony, panasonic and honda. switch to currencies as well. let's have a look at the dollar/yen and euro/yen. dollar still slightly weaker against the yen. we may see further profit taking exporters. look at levels ther

nikkei not bad. up by nearly quarter of i percent. gains are limited because the bank of japan downgraded the growth forecast for the current fiscal year ending in march. 4% growth. the japanese central bank expects a contraction of the growths for fiscal 2012, revised down to 2% from 2.2%. japanese interest rates remain unchanged. but the nikkei, i believe it -- still ahead on "world business today," pressure is mounting on iran as europe slaps tough new sanctions on the mainstay of the country's economy and markets spike in oil prices. that's next on wbt. r well somewhere along the way, emily wentight on living. but you see, with the help of her raymond james financial advisor, she had planned for every eventuality. ...which meant she continued to have the means to live on... ...even at the ripe old age of 187. life well planned. see what a raymond james advisor can do for you. >>> this is brent crude down despite threats from iran to close the straits of hormuz. $110 a barrel. with the u.s. dollar, did push the price higher on mond

the nikkei is trading higher by over 100 points, a gain of 1.25%. broader topix trading higher by 1.45%. new york stocks were pushed higher. the sentiment carried over to tokyo. they gained ground on friday morning following auctions of french and spanish auction bonds. the euro is going against the yen. it's 99.96 to 100.01. against the dollar, the euro is fetching 1.2955 to 2960. the greenback against the yen is changing at 77.15 to 20. news that the imf will boost the lending capacity was a positive factor for the euro. here is a look at the interest rates. the government bond up one basis point. >>> the u.s. photographic film maker kodak filed for chapter 11 from creditors on tuesday. the firm says they will continue to operate as usual for the time being on loans it secured from banks. late last year, it sought buyers for patents to raise cash. the negotiations got nowhere. the chief officer says they are taking a significant step to make a transition. the iconic u.s. company was founded in 1880. it launched the world's first roll and color fil

let's not forget, nikkei ended lower monday, breaking a four day winning streak. not helped with asian indexes. they were closed for chinese new year. investors aren't expecting much direction from asian markets. however, market direction may come from currency and commodity markets. we have seen the euro gaining a touch against the dollar and the yen on hopes of a new restructuring deal for greece's private bondholders and also we did see gold prices hit a six week high on the drop on the dollar. despite what we saw in crude oil prices as well, surrounding the embargo against iran. let's look at the currency levels this tuesday morning. the euro yen trading around lower 100 levels, and also on the hopes of restructuring debt plan for greece. let's not forget this time yesterday, it was around 99, lower 99 yen levels, and this time last week it was 97.04. the euro has come back a touch. we will keep track of commodity related stocks with airlines, shipping and trading houses as well on the gains in commodity prices. ai? >> ramin, we will check on the eurozone debt

let's look at the opening levels for nikkei and topix this wednesday morning in tokyo. you can see they're marginally higher, not a massive move, still in the positive. speaking of banks, we will watch banking shares. they did gain yesterday, and domestic and foreign investors looking to buy up some undervalued banking stocks which were quite heavily sold off last year due to eurozone debt crisis. also, japan's mega banks, mitsubishi and others have a little less exposure to eurozone debt than say, for instance, u.s. and european counter parts. so that's also a factor which plays into the banking sector. also because of the slightly weaker dollar, we did see a bit of a gain in commodity related stocks, so we're going to keep track of gold, oil, energy related stocks. we did see gold up about 1.5%, benchmark wti crude was up almost a dollar. we will keep track of trading houses and shipping companies involved in that also. ai? >> you mention the slightly weaker dollar, ramin. what's the latest in currencies? >> let's look at the levels this morning as tokyo trading kicks

the nikkei and topix are marginally lower. they may trade ahead of u.s. jobs data i mentioned, we will focus on energy related stocks following rising tension in oil markets and possible embargo on iranian oil shipments, which is effecting market sentiment. japan is under pressure to go along with u.s. sanctions, and the eu also is going to be deciding that later this month. so that puts a little challenge for japanese companies which are trying to find newer sources of energy, such as liquefied natural gas and shale oil and gas. so we're going to focus on mitsubishi, some trading companies in japan, and others among the sectors, but also let's not forget the banking sector as continued issues regarding eurozone debt problems continue to hangover markets there, and also authorities are trying to grapple with bank capitalization problems and banks' exposure to levels of high debt. we're seeing bond yields still high in early 2012. ai? >> speaking of which, ramin, the euro hit an 11 year low against the yen. how are the currencies trading? >> that's another

the nikkei has traded in quite a tight range in the last couple of days, which highlights what we're seeing how government bond auctions in italy and spain go ahead this week and also, of course, later this day we have the european central bank, which is meeting. so a couple of factors there holding markets back. still, we continue to see gains in the banks and brokerage. numeral holdings up over 3%, pretty much shrugging off the news of one of its higher directors quitting. also a lot of japanese blue chip electronic companies there in the focus as well. >> good news for the united states economies supporting the dollar but not so much good news for the euro. where are these currencies trading this morning? >> let's have a look at that. again a bit of a tug of war developed in the currency markets as well, the euro there continuing to see a bit of softness and 97.75 to 80, so trading below the 98 level. dollar yen holding steady, 76.87 to 88, but the euro losing out to the dollar as well, so a lot of activity there, but as i said earlier, the nikkei and topix trading lower this thur

nikkei so far i have to say is down for the year. first couple weeks of trading in 2012, largely weighed down by the stronger yen, which has held up into 2012 because of the unpredictability of developments in the eurozone economy. still, because of the positive opening that we have here and the euro backing off a little bit because of the auctions that you mention, we might get a bit of a reprieve for exporters today. so we'll keep track of that. speaking of the euro, let's look at some of the currency levels here, crosses there. you can see the dollar yen and euro yen. look at the euro yen, tells you more what i am talking about, 98.37-43. this time yesterday, it was around 97 region. you can tell the euro is a little stronger this friday morning in tokyo stock trading hours. ai? >> ramin, we also have key earnings coming out in the banking sector. what can we expect there? >> definitely a big focus there. jp morgan chase is the big focus. a lot of market analysts want to see how banks are dealing with all of the regulatory changes

nikkei up over 100 points. now above 8,700. they extended gains a third day in a row. now above 8700. positive momentum there. a lot of sentiment has been coming from strong data out of the u.s. as well as successful bond auctions this week in eurozone countries. we had portugal and germany earlier, and just yesterday spain and france coming out with pretty smooth bond auctions, so that's helped some of the positive sentiment, and also it helped the euro. let's look at some of the currency levels, you can see what i am talking about there as well. if you focus on the euro yen at 99.87-92. monday, we were trading 97.04. you can see the euro has gained considerably over the last few days. so a bit of confidence coming back for the euro, easing concerns about france downgrading the aaa rating friday. still, whether greece continues debt repayments is a major concern for markets, and that may peg back some revival in the euro. >> ramin, you mentioned tech earnings going well in the u.s. with intel and ibm jumping. some are having problems with kwourt quarter earnings. >> c

but the nikkei and the topix just marginally lower in the first few minutes of trading. back to you. >> ramin mellegard from the tokyo stock exchange. >>> the accident at fukushima daiichi forced the japanese to rethink their relationship with power generation. many were already leery about nuclear energy and shutting down reactors put even more pressure on a country struggling for electricity. now leaders are trying to find new sources. we went to tetsunari ida for answers. the former nuclear engineer is a leading advocate of renewable energy and part of a government panel reviewing energy policy. >> mr. ida, japan has the world's third largest number of nuclear reactors with 54. and in fact, up until march of 2011 nuclear energy took a share of 29% of all energy in japan. today, of course, most of those nuclear reactors are not in operation. nor are there plans to make new ones. so what is in the future for nuclear energy? >> yeah, in the short run the nuclear -- all the nuclear power will shut down until this spring. and sooner or later -- most of the nuclear power is

a bit ofmuted nikkei ma down 2. endede third str looki straight day i like so with continued around the urther selling forexporters. as you a bigjapan. thig names lik and honda major ba after the had canon comi posted a net the expecting net remainder year even withen yen and yen. on that sector as fujietund 50% i ending wever, it is proposing a capital interestolympus. development as some of the currencyuesday bond eurozone count portugal caused the weaken against t yen it was trading it hasned against the yen. ai? >> you came out this week we still h out here injapan, and n data from the definitely still a plate. more i make for iph ipads, strong salesthere, honda ande eastfinancial. a lot investors to take >> dige the price at the close the devenow, the topics tuesday morning. that. ramin mellegard from tokyo stock exchange.t some other market fig de barely in we will keep on top that's the from >>> the y the purchase of 12 st a similar announcement by th raised fears that the cost of lia will take delivery of it

now the nikkei, take a look at that. it was closed yesterday. up by . .4%. we've also go the a couple of big moves to show you coming out of tokyo today. take a look at that. olympus up nearly 20%. that's after the nikkei newspaper reported it would remain listed on the tokyo stock exchange. they are a big mover. a stock we've talked about as with olympus as we've talked about all year, tepco. the government will buy a majority stake in the floundering company. that was the company that was running the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant that has just been stabilized after the tsunami back in march. that is when the tsunami hit march 11 last year. that has been the following story. no confidence at all in tepco stock. it's down something like 90% since then. we're going to now take you to a live event happening in syria. the syrian president bashir al-assad is giving a very rare address. this is the first address he has made since late last month when the arab league sent in observers to monitor a peace plan in syria. let's listen in to the syrian president. >>

nikkei closed week lowhe u.s. markets off monday may see nevertheless follo poors downgrade eurozone bailout fun the we may see capped there. the day also talking aboies and theeuro let's have ano the there. and yen you mentio did hit lows we saw a negative on orters with exposure to m canon, cinimum oath u.s. or week ains on earnings names like manufacturing and data is d this investors may stay ahead of th also, we havchina's gdp numbers, and we have seen considera growth in slight slow littlethere for companies sell markets. ramin, to add of catherine had a story back in today. whatthat? >> report came opened likely to former auditors yesterday were down4%.n volatile of the ep track of that olympus aor we will follow it end of rts, of ack to >> thanklot. trading >>> time toigures now.s th latest in business. pledged relocate residents ofock built fromntaminated concrete.ctive cesium was dethe building. floor had to microsieverts per than atmos the gra concrete came fukushima daiiche townesignated anapril.holds

the nikkei down by 0.8%. you have the greek prime minister warning about this uncontrolled default if wage cuts are not made in greece. and we've got the attention on spain as well, the regional government of valencia is late repaying a loan to deutsche bank and that's fueling fears that spain may also need some additional support from central authorities there. so add all that together and you get more red arrows than green here in asia, charles. >>> meanwhile on wall street, not a very exciting day, certainly thin volume on wednesday. alison kosik has a recap of what happened. >>> stocks finished little changed wednesday, recovering from modest losses earlier in the session. concerns about europe resurfaced briefly but investors were able to shrug it off for now. the dow industrials added 21 points closing at 12,418. the nasdaq and the s&p finished mixed. one stock headed in the other direction, shares of eastman kodak tumbled to just 45 cents a share. the stock is down more than 90% over the past year. on

the nikkei up by 1%, australia up by nearly -- virtually flat, actually. nina? >>> it's been pretty much green arrows across the boards in the united states as well on wednesday, andrew. we take a look at the closing figures. it turns out u.s. stocks rose to six-month highs on wednesday's session. it was largely led by the likes of the broader s&p 500 index and the tech-heavy nasdaq. they closed 1% higher and even 0.75% for the dow jones industrial average. >>> after slashing more than a billion dollars of other expenses, goldman sachs has been able to rebound from a third quarter loss to post a $1 billion net profit for the fourth quarter. and that beat estimates. that still wasn't enough to make up for a sluggish 2011. year-on-year, goldman's fourth quarter earnings were down by 21%. even though the bank paid out $12 billion in salaries and bonuses last year that was 21% less than the year before. >> andrew, one bank that's paying out a bumper bonus at least to top management is royal bank of scotland. steven hester stands to pocket as much as $2.3 million, mo

the nikkei nudged up 104 points but in hong kong the hang seng dipped 150. >>> fueled by positive economic news, wall street started out the new year tuesday with a bang. money managers with fresh cash to spend were buying. banks, materials and industrials posted big gains. alocoa, jpmorgan chase and bank of america led the dow. alocoa was the driver. november's construction spending surged to the highest in nearly 18 months. also overseas, germany reported last year's unemployment average was the lowest in two decades. in china's slowdown it may be over. gold reversed this year. and oil surged to almost $103 a barrel. coal-related stocks jump on last friday's court ruling delays new air pollution regulations. chesapeake energy rose after selling part of its business to french oil giant total for $2.3 billion. devon jumped. metro pcs and leap were down on speculation. bad news for kaf foon lovers. starbucks raised prices in the north and southeast. finally, after a lengthy legal battle a judge ruled an african of my american church is the rightful owner of a building red neck memorabilia.

in tokyo, the nikkei down 62 points, while in hong kong, the hang seng dipped 56. >>> markets managed to hold on to recent gains wednesday. u.s. steel and material stocks higher thanks in part to an upgrade in that sector. on the earnings front, oil giant chevron down 2%. home builder lennar shares up 7%. crocks pushed shares of the the popular footwear maker up 16%. supervalu dropped 12% after missing its earnings estimates. urban outfitters plunged on the unexpected gat tour of its coo. hostess is filing for bankruptcy protection the second time in a decade as they try to find its footing in a increasingly health conscious market. >>> a survey shows surprisingly robust american spending and factory production at the end of 2011. japan's finance minister told timothy geithner his country will take steps to create dependency on iranian oil imports. after trace amounts of a potentially harmful fungicide was found in orange juice. >>> buffett tells "time" magazine he will match you will republican members of congress dollar-for-dollar. he'll even go 3 for 1 with mcconnell himself. >>> t

. >>> take ago look at everseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei jumped 114 points while in hong kong, the hang seng rose 109. >>> following oil and strong european bond auctions drove a late comeback on thursday to spring stocks to close slightly highers opinion materials and drove caterpillar leading the dow. on europe delaying its iran embargo. pushing stocks surprisingly strong bond auctions in spain. chevron warned on fourth quarter profits. corn futures plunged. wheat futures tumbled. >>> stocks tripped up early on data. december retail sales rose at the weakest pace in seven months. first time jobless claims moved higher last week mainly due to holiday temp layoffs. win resorts fell on news its vice chairman sued the company for blocking his view of business accounts. >>> home depot will hire 70,000 seasonal workers for the spring and food lion says it will close 113 locations in belgium and cut almost 5,000 jobs. slot machine maker international game technology confirms -- today, traders will watch early for the first big banker jpmorgan chase. bed bath & beyond are

in tokyo, the nikkei lost 34 points. but in hong kong, the hang seng spiked 28%. stocks picked up steam on wednesday after learning the fed intends to keep his money policy in effect longer than planned. the nation's central bank said it would probably keep interest rates near zero until late 2014 citing struggling housing market and economic growth. ben bernanke said another round of easing is not out of the question. overall that was bad news for banks which find it harder to earn a return on low rates. the price of gold hit six-week high on hopes it could be an appealing hedge ens . apple reclaimed its title of world's most valuable company after historic fourth quarter results. textron soared 15%. delta and us airways shot up on healthy earnings report. corning glass tumbled 1s% after declines for lcd tvs. netflix shot up double digits in late trade after reporting it recovered three-quarters of the customer it lost after raising prices last year. according to reality track, foreclosed homes accounted for a percentage of the sales than the year before. in flor

in tokyo, the nikkei added nine points. while in hong kong, the hang seng climbed 230. >>> investors worried about europe's debt crisis on monday as official gathered in brussels. stocks got off to a rocky start as european union leaders worked on a permanent bailout zone. a deal was struck after markets closed but without a long-term fix for greece's debt, the eu woes will continue to linger. markets managed to regain some ground with telecom tech leading the way. new data saying people are willing to save than spend. >>> apple shares rose on news the iphone maker could pick up two new distributors in china this year. also on the upside, us airways climbed on news the airline could be a takeover target by delta. bank of america slipped 3% after goldman sachs cut its rating from neutral to bye. starbucks got a lift it will be open stores in india this year. on the downside, wendy's dragged the fast food chain lowering. spiraling ad sails nannett with fourth quarter profits. carnival has a drop in bookings. >>> a new fraud p

. >>> overseas trading in tokyo, the nikkei gained 88 points and the hong kong hang sang shot up 615.>> as investors return they will be watching reports on housing and trading prices and traders keep an eye on microsoft and other tech stock include intel. >>> french president sarkozy says the downgrade of france's credit rating changes nothing but standard & poor's has downgraded the country. china's economy slowed last year. gross domestic product grew 8.9%, its lowest rate in 2 1/2 years. >>> bmw of north america is recalling 89,000 minicoopers to replace, at no charge, faulty water pumps that could overheat and cause a fire. >>> online retailer zappos.com says a hacker may have stolen some of the personal information of 24 million customers. zappos issued an alert to customers and urged them to change their passwords. >>> wikepedia will black out the english language version of its website on wednesday to protest anti-piracy legislation under consideration in congress. >>> apple is expected to announce thursday that it's planning to revolutionize the textbook industry. soon, you m

that explaining that red so far in that downwards arrow for the nikkei.employs 113,000 people globally. that coming after the close doesn't set things up very well for the coming session. stay with us here on "world business today." there's going to be much more after the break. 0ñ@ñfÑ [ male announcer ] this was how my day began. a little bird told me about a band... ♪ an old man shared some fish stories... ♪ oooh, my turn. ♪ she was in paris, but we talked for hours... everyone else buzzed about the band. there's a wireless mind inside all of us. so, where to next? ♪ will be giving away passafree copies so, where to next? of the alcoholism & addiction cure. to get yours, go to ssagesmalibubook.com. >> reporter: live from london, hong kong, and davos, switzerla switzerland. this is "world business today" on cnn. >> switzerland may generally get to sit out the worst of the european debt debacle, but it's in the middle of the problem geographically speaking. it's in the heart, of course, on talks on the solution this week. business brains have been gatheri

taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei dropped 121 points while in hong kong the hang seng tumbled 192. >>> when trading resumes on tuesday, wall street will be watching energy prices, european debts, and new earnings reports. among the companies reporting this week are key financial stocks like bank of america and goldman sachs. >>> french president nicolas sarkozy is calling for calm after standard & poor lowered france's rating to aa plus on friday. >>> germany insists that reforms can help greece return to economic growth, but talks between the government and private creditors to avoid default have stalled. >>> oil prices in asia edged up near $99 a barrel today, amid concerns that tensions in the middle east might hurt crude oil supply. >>> despite tightening sanctions on iran's oil industry, experts say the country's crude should still flow, but perhaps at a deep discount. iran may ultimately have to sell its oil for 10 to 15% less. >>> so far in january, we have not seen falling gasoline price like we usually do. aaa says gas prices are at historic

taking look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei dipped 98 point ts, but in hong kong the hang seng climbed 272. >>> this week's big question on wall street will be can better economic news combined with strong earnings trump euro fears? in the wake of friday's data showing the lowest jobless rate in three years ail coca kicks off earning season today expecting to show strong results. germany's angela merkel and italy's nick lal sarkozy meet. wall street will closely watch interest rates on those bonds. >>> traders will also eye greece where more crucial austerity measures must be passed. thursday's december retail sales will be the week's most closely watched data. expect auto news and noise this week in detroit at the international auto show and tech bonds in las vegas at the annual consumer electronics show. >>> else ware bristol-myers squibb is buying for $2.2 billion. regular gas jumped over the last three weeks. >>> venezuela's hugo chavez says he won't recognize any. venezuela faces 20 other cases at that tribunal. >>> and how's this for inflation? a copper penn

t tokyo's nikkei average was up 114 points. hong kong's hang seng was up, too. the nasdaq index picked up 14. >>> more good news from the auto industry. they plan to add thousands of new jobs this year. not just u.s. companies but also foreign companies. production here is a little more profitable. >>> fixed mortgage rates are again at a record low. breaking records set just three weeks ago. 30-year loans are 3.89. a 15-year loan is 3.16. unfortunately, it's still hard to qualify for a mortgage. >>> and a concern overnight. tissue holders have been pulled from shelves. they've been distributed to bed bath & beyond. return them to the store for a full refund. there's no threat to human health. >> i was just in the market for one of those. a boutique tissue holder. >> is there enough time? >>> the scare of a life time for one elderly couple forced to rob a bank. but they outsmarted the robbers. >>> and an update from the alaska town trying to dig out from under 18 feet of snow. we're right back. my name is robin. i'm a wife, i'm a mom... and chantix worked for me.

. >>> taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei lost just a smidge and in hong kong the hang seng rose 167. >>> barring any big surprises a foray of earnings are bound to draw the biggest buzz on wall street this week. a dozen dow companies and about a quart over the s&p 500 will weigh in with fourth quarter results including industry heavyweights apple, boeing, mcdonald's and procter & gamble. >>> an economic outlook from ben bernanke will be high on investors' minds this week. fourth quarter gdp is due out fred. broader growth is expected to come in around 3%, the fastest pace since the second quarter 20610. >>> blackberry maker research in motion has announced its co-ceos are stepping down. apache energy is buying cora for nearly $3 billion to soak up some 250,000 acre of fresh fracing plays in the endarko basin. >>> the average price for a regular gallon of gas-inched up over the last two weeks. the price of a first-class stamp is now up to 45 cents after rising for the first time in 2 1/2 years yesterday. >>> no fancy hotels for occupiers in switzerland. th

in tokyo, the nikkei rose 89 points.hile in hong kong, the hang seng rose 256. >>> a triple-header of key economic reports are due out today, including the consumer price index. we will get the latest weekly update on unemployment claims. plus, stats on new housing starts. earnings reports are due this morning from bank of america. and other financial stocks like morgan stanley. >>> investment bank goldman sachs net income declined 58% in the fourth quarter but the company still made a billion dollars and beat analyst estimates. eb ebay's net income in the fourth quarter was almost $2 billion and helped by higher revenue on the sale of its remaining interest in skype. factory output surged in december by the most in the year. stronger demands for business equipment and business and energy. foreign demands for u.s. treasury debt rose in november to the highest level ever. total foreign holdings increased to 4.75 trillion dollars. the international monetary fund plans to raise an extra ks 500 billion so it can issue new lo

in tokyo, the nikkei was up 19 points. while in hong kong, the hang seng gained 167. a fourth quarter earnings will start early and roll in all day. tech titan apple weighs in after the closing bell. in late trade last night, texas instruments shares were up thanks to higher than expected revenue. earlier chesapeake energy was among the biggest movers rising 6%. the nation's second largest natural gas producer announced it will slash drilling by nearly half in response to prices that plunged 45% last year. >>> oil irve oil inched toward a hundred dollars overseas. this after the european union decided yesterday to embarger imports of iranian oil. the u.s. treasury department moved against iran later in the say sanctioning iran's third largest bank one of tehran' fewest measures of trade. >>> keep interest rates low in order to speed a finalized bailout. back on the street. blackberry maker research in motion lost 8% after its new chief revealed he has no plans for drastic changes at the company. macy's has filed suit against martha stewart living, claiming it violated

taking a look at overseas trading this morning in tokyo, nikkei fell 71 points. but in hong kong the hang seng gained 86. >>> stocks barely budged wednesday but investors were able to hold on on to gains from an impressive first year. alocoa and microsoft boosted the dow while worries about europe's debt problems dragged bank shares lower. auto sales helped offset those w woes. netflix shot up 11% on news members streamed more than 2 billion hours of tv shows and movies online during the fourth quarter. 07 oil fell as concerned of europe's debt crisis worried. yahoo shares 3% after it named paypal scott thompson new ceo. photo pioneer eastman kodak is reportedly getting ready to file for chapter 1 1 bankruptcy protection. more than 1200 boeing employees will be out of work when it stops operations in wichita, kansas, by the end of next year. at&t has agreed to pay tivo $215 million plus monthly licensing fees to settle a patent infringement suit. adele shows u.s. album sales were up 3%, the first rise for the music industry since 2004. >>> good news for you tax d

overseas trading in tokyo, the nikkei climbed 84 points, while in hong kong, the hang seng nudged up9. >>> investors return to work on tuesday with slight but significant improvement signs overseas. stocks got a boost while surprisingly solid interest in debt auctions in spain, greece, and europe's bailout fund eased fears about recent credit downgrades but early gains were paired by a steep drop in citigroup's profits that sent its shares tumbling 8%. in the meantime, wells fargo rose after reporting a 20% in profits. carnival cruise lines plunged in the wake of the deadly cruise ship disasters involving one of its italian lines. analysts worry about a possible ripple effect on the industry. kraft is cutting 1,600 jobs in north america this year as part of its restructuring plans. on the upside, sears stock shot up on learning its profits may go private. >>> a late day warning from the worl world bank could -- profits today. after the bell, shares of yahoo! inched higher after their cofounder announced his depart tour. ar fi >>> finally, a hiker snapped two freezing nights said he s

in tokyo, the nikkei up 25 points and in hong kong, the hang sang gained 147. >>> a strong earnings outlook from alcoa helped stocks climb on tuesday. investors hope for a stronger earning season were lifted by hefty 2012 aluminum bands despite a quarter loss in 2011. leading the dow higher, caterpillar rose. tiffany and company plunged 10%. elsewhere, orange juice surged a record 10% on news some brazilian imports contain a h m harmful fungiside. due to italy's economic crisis the mafia has now become the country's largest lenered. at home a good year to the preserve. thanks to its investment the fed paid $77 billion to the government in 2011. the second highest amount ever. in an effort to stay afloat, eastman kodak is hoping patent suits against apple and htc corporation will help speed its turnaround. several nation's biggest banks under investigation whether they overcharged customers struggling to pay their home insurance. >>> finally, the occupy wall street movement has left its mark on 2011 in more than one way. the american dialect society named occupiers its word of the year. >>>

tokyo's nikkei average was up 98 point today. hong kong's hang seng was closed for the chinese new year. in london, the ftse opened higher and headed down ward. on wall street, the dow lost 33 points. the nasdaq index rose 2. >>> the ceo of general motors will testify today about a battery fire in the chevy volt electric cars. why did regulators wait five months before telling the public about a low battery that caught fire in a safety test? >>> american workers beware. the average employee spends about 1,000 buckets a year on coffee and 2,000 a year on lunches. younger workers and men are more likely to indulge. >>> and gisele bundchen has been the top earning model. she launched a lingerie line this past may. she's well on her way to becoming the first billionaire supermodel. and she's married to tom brady. some girls have all the luck. >> some guys have all the luck i would say. >>> next on this wends morning, amanda knox is back in the news this morning. for some surprising comments. does she really want to go back to italy?