let's look at the opening levels, for the nikkei and topix. mainly in the positive. slight gains there. we'll see if that continues. the nikkei is may actually meet a little bit of hesitation as markets are really looking forward to the u.s. policy reserve board meeting. we're also seeing the dollar fall a touch, which may weigh on exporters. last week the nikkei ended in the positive, largely on the back of the gains following tokyo winning its bid for the 2020 olympics. which boosted infrastructure shares here. however, we did come for a little bit of profit-taking in those shares, and the strong yen weighed a little bit on blue chip exporters toward the end of the week. regarding summers, observers said he was expected to face stiff resistance from the senate committee. and even some democrats voiced some strong opposition to summers, for fear of some disruption to the current quantitative easing policy measures, which you just touched on there. vice fed chair janet yellen, as well as her predecessor donald caan may also be in the running. we'll see how that pans

the nikkei 225, up by 0.1%. earlier on this week, scaled to this five-year high. it is today up around 0.5%. with metal prices coming down, we're seeing the mining stocks coming under pressure. overall, it's been a fantastic week for these asian markets. shanghai is on track for a 0.4% gain. the asx is on track for a 1% gain this week. and indonesia, one of the embattled companies has been bouncing back nicely, as well. in terms of the european market, this is how it's fairing. we are seeing a bit of caution across the board for these major markets. the xetra zacks off by 0.3%. the cac 40 down around 8 points. definitely a little bit of kaugdz in the markets ahead of the fomc meeting next week. in terms of the biggest gainers and losers on the stoxx 600, we're seeing do you haveland up by 5.6%. now that the deal with vodafone has gone through, this is a takeover story by 11.2% and raiff bank n is down 3.6%. vodafone says that 75% of the german cable company shareholders have agreed to the uk firm's 7.7 billion euro takeover. the uk telecom school will publish deta

but for now, again, little bit of a mixed opening with the nikkei negative and the topics, yes, the nikkei in the negative and the topics in the positive. >> thanks a lot for that update. japanese leaders are planning to balance a planned tax rise by offering tax cuts to businesses. they're offering incentives worth $16 billion. government officials are finalizing the economic package for the end of the month. they're offering cuts to firms promoting capital investments, corporate reorganization and higher wages. that's expected to total $7 billion and they intend to scrap a tax to help rebuild affected areas one year earlier than planned. officials are also reviewing a tax on automobiles bought by companies. >>> the u.s. justice department is coming down hard on nine japanese auto parts manufacturers in connection with separate conspiracies to fix prices. the firms and two executives have agreed to pay $740 million in fines. >> although these cartels operated totally independently, they all had one thing in common. they targeted u.s. manufacturing, u.s. businesses and the united states co

coming up on the screen right now, up on the nikkei and the same for the topix. pretty positive start so far this tuesday. and we saw a healthy bounce in the nikkei on monday, actually, also, following the announcement of tokyo winning the 2020 olympics. u.s. and asian stocks also propelled higher by up beat economic data of china. we'll get a clearer picture today from the world's second biggest economy. there's data concerning industrial production, retail sales, as well as real estate investment, obviously, the housing sector in china a crucial focus, as well. here in raja pjapan, there's hu anti-pags, as well. ahead of apple's announcement of the latest products which may include the new iphone. now, of course, a lot of component makers here in japan make parts that go in to a lot of the products that apple makes and also there's a focus on the mobile phone carriers, soft bank, kddi and the latest ntt which is just announced to carry apple's iphone here in japan, as well. so big focus on this sector, as well. ai? >> really interesting the see how all that pla

we're getting a mixeded open here with the nikkei higher. now, in the previous session on wednesday, the nikkei maintained the trend and as we've seen the dollar fall from yesterday's levels, we may see further selling in some exporters today as well. exporters had been driven higher when the dollar was around the mid hundred yen levels on wednesday, so some fluctuations there. now, apple as you mentioned, is a big focus. its shares slumped in the u.s. session. analysts say there weren't too many positive surprises in the latest lineup of smart phones. there's also going to be a big focus here on the battle of the mobile phone carriers here in japan, especially now as ntt gold has number one will be supplying the latest iphone smart phones, so soft bank and the other two will have increased competition in that sector of the market. we'll also need to keep track of component makers for the iphone, many of which were sold off yesterday. we'll see if that continues or if there's a halt in that precio progression. >> where do we stand this norng

but how is the nikkei opening this friday? >> good morning to you. actually a little bit of a pull back in the nikkei as well. let's go to opening levels. the nikkei marginally in the negative and the topix almost a quarter percent in the positive. a bit of a mixed opening here. looks like investors consolidating positions. as we saw in the u.s. also overnight the dow fell about a quarter percent following the record closing highs we saw the previous day. that's after of course the u.s. central bank unexpectedly decided to maintain its current course of pumping cash into the u.s. economy to the tune of around $85 billion worth of u.s. bonds. the dollar has also recovered as i've noted, which means it should be really supported for some of the key exporters here in japan. i'll keep track of some of those stocks which have really under performed in the last couple days. now another quick point i want to make is keep an eye out for telecom shares today because today is the big day here in japan. apple releases its iphone 5 c and 5 s series and competiti

one of the few exceptions japan's nikkei. most markets across europe down this morning due to concerns about the american economy and the looming budget battle. >>> our futures indicate a higher opening this morning across the board for the dow. the nasdaq and the s&p 500, that follows some losses yesterday. oil prices falling amid concerns about the u.s. economy as well and falling demand. oil prices fell to more than 102 a barrel on the new york mercantile exchange yesterday. that's the lowest closing price since july 3. >>> time now 5:20.

the nikkei has done well for me recently. which is working, less of that which is not. it continues to look very well. >> it is probably a big factor. do you buy into the notion that they will be building new venues? it will therefore provide of gdp? >> there is no question that it will be good for gdp. absolutely. they will have to build new venues upgrade their roads and more. we know this will have to happen. with the exception of every other city other than calgary, everybody has regretted the fact that they have done it. it cost them an enormous amount of money. i think this will be detrimental to japan and by the time we get there they will wish that they didn't have the olympics. >> i like the long nikkei trade. get me to be short yen. the way i look at it there will be a lot of money flowing into japan to pay for all of this. all of that money that we thought was going to flow out, they will keep knitit in house. >> i heard your argument. i thought about that argument and i looked at the way the japanese yen traded ov

the nikkei really continuing its upward trend so far for september. one big factor in the last 24 hours has been the developments regarding syria. where diplomatic solution as you mentioned there, seems to be coming into place, instead of a military strike. that's going to be a big focus for financial markets. we'll keep focus on that as well, throughout the day. let's get back to economics and fundamentals, of course, data out of china, has been a big focus at the tail end of yesterday's session here in tokyo, we did get some pretty strong numbers out of china. industrial production as you can see on the screen there. rising 10.4%. we had retail sales, which was up 13.4% from a year ago. and, of course, let's not forget the news coming from apple. shares of apple in the u.s. traded lower by just over 2%. we're going to get reaction here from component makers and companies that make apple products. >> following the political and economic news that you mentioned, seems to affect the currency markets has been quite strong? >> yeah, definitely. and you j

the nikkei fell yesterday on a stronger yen weighing on exporters and after three days of gains in the key index. i would expect little cheer for that sector today and given where the dollar-yen is at. i'll come to that in a second. the australian index hit a five-year closing high yesterday. as you can see on the screens, coming up there, that's a commodity heavy index and may have a baring on related sectors here in japan and australia's new prime minister-elect indicated his desire for stronger and closer trade links with japan and both countries are involved in the transpacific partnership talks. now, other areas to keep track of sharp which is planning to raise cash with sale of new shares to boost its finances. electronic firm's shares yesterday fell about 6% so that's another focus to keep track of. ai? >> ramin, as you say, seems like they're focusing on the fed decision. how is the dollar-yen faring right now? >> we saw fluctuations up to today and of course, up to and including next week's policy board meeting. right now 99.64-65. if to the u.s. central bank announces plans,

tokyo's nikkei lost 2%. hong kong's hang seng fell 1.5%.he dow jones industrial ended the week down 192 points at the end of the week. apple's now the world's most valuable brand. according to a company, apple has knocked coca-cola from the top spot for the first time. the report estimates apple's brand value of more than $98 billion. >>> the outspoken owner of the dallas mavericks mark cuban is going to court today for insider trading. cuban is expected to testify in federal court in dallas. he's accused of using inside information to sell stock in a small internet company. prosecutors say he avoided $750,000 in losses. >>> another boost in the race for private commercial space exploration. spacex launched an upgraded version of its falcon 9 rocket from the california air force base yesterday. the rocket placed a canadian weather satellite into orbit. spacex has a contract with nasa to make a dozen unmanned cargo missions to the international space station. it hopes to carry astronauts in several years. >>> and a sequel was the winner over

the nikkei 225 in japan pulled back modest 0.3%.rporate shareholders came in weaker than expected. meanwhile, shares took a toll on sharp and mitsubishi motors. sharp tumbled 6% today to a 2.5 month low as it raised up to $2.5 billion in an offer. mitsubishi motors tanked after it was reported the automaker plans to offer $2 billion of shares to the company. in china, we see banking shares, media stocks and some of the shipping companies had a strong rally on hopes that they will benefit from the free trade zone program. but coal miners capped the up side on beth sides of hong kong and mingling forces to reduce coal consumption and shut down old polluting facilities. apple suppliers extended yesterday's losses following apple's south as the latest market concluded the iphone 5c was too expensive for china. back to you. >> thanks very much, indeed, for that, sixuan. as you can see at the moment, governor mark carney is giving testimony at the treasury select committee on the inflation report. we've already heard from some of his coll

tokyo's nikkei added more than 1%. hong kong's hang seng gained 1%. >>> americans may be cautious about the economy, for the second straight month, they've cut back on using credit cards. the federal reserve said the money oded on credit cards dropped in july to an annual rate of 2.6%. in june, it dropped to over 5% americans are using more to buy cars and go to school. >>> a good day on wall street, the markets got a boost from rising home prices and a couple of big sales. the dow rose 140 points to finish above 15,000 for the first time in more than two weeks. the nasdaq jumped 46 points. one of those sales was neiman marcus. on monday, aris management and the canadian investment board said they'll buy the retailer for $6 billion. and the board said they'll use 7. $2 billion by a company that makes electronics from computers to x-ray machines. and today's the day that we find out that the rumors apple are true. in cupertino, california. they're inspected to unveil two iphones. the app and the ic supposed to have a pl

the nikkei 225 managed to reverse early losses to finish higher by half a percent.s after the index surged over 4% over the past two days. as for the top gainers, canon jumped to a three-week high after saying the company will buy back up to 1.6% or a maximum of $500 million worth of shares between today and the first of november. the stock finished higher by almost 4%. also want to show you shares of honda as the nikkei reported a likely dividend hike for the automaker on hopes of strong full year earnings. analysts say it doesn't really wow investors with other automakers also likely to hike dividends. honda shares gained about .6% today. take a look at shares of ccb, china construction bank. it is flat on the main land but slipped 1.4% in hong kong today. this after reports that bank of america has sold its remaining stake in the bank for up to $1.5 billion, wrapping up a multiyear exit from this chinese banking asset. chinese steelmakers enjoyed a nice rally today, this helped by optimism over beijing's policy measures. latest industry data also pointing to mode

that's all from the nikkei business report.k to you, ross. >> and sticking to japan, the trade month of august was an extra $16 0 billion yen despite exports falling up close to 15% on the year. japan continues to face some steep energy import costs. steven short is still with us. what are your view owes japan? how do you take the news that we are now going to get the consumption tax? >> well, it's good news because it's a critical element of abe-nomics and the strategy to survive long-term growth. the monetary stimulus, the fiscal stimulus, that's done the job of boosting growth in the short run. but japan still faces a daunting medium term fiscal challenge and raising the consumption tax is an ingredient of facing the debt burden that japan faces. >> you're not afraid that it's happening too early? i fully agree with you that the fiscal situation has to be addressed. on the other hand, having had two quarters of solid growth, isn't it a risk that you're actually kill this recovery too early by hiking the vat rate already for

the nikkei to 25 index is down slightly after hitting a four- week i.newspaper citing several resources that the bank of japan will consider further stimulus policy measures if prime minister shinzo abe decides to raise the sales tax to 8%. sources say the doj -- to be o.j. -- boj say they will pump more money into the economy before the scheduled tax hike. hong kong listed shares dropped after bank of america announced it would sell its remaining stake in china construction bank. china's second-biggest lender. china construction bank shares in hong kong are up. the broader market in china's mainland is down after hitting multi-year highs. back to you. >> finally, a tale of treasure under the sea. a salvage company in florida made the discovery of a lifetime. discovering more than $350,000 worth of gold in a spanish ship that dates back to the 18th century. the crew found 23 meters of gold chains and coins from the 1700s. they will keep half the money. they also donate 20% of the state as part of a museum exhibition. we will be back here again tomorrow.

and hewlett packard not all to be removed from the down arm replaced by goldman sachs these out the nikkei the decision is based on struggling stock prices and the desire to diversify the mix of companies represented alright let's now take a whiff mr thomas saw in house investor and see what you've been up to this week i was away last week in some pieces but i'm back now i want to know what you've been out well first of all when you left the weather got really cold and rainy you came back and it has been. but warmer so thanks for coming to moscow for us china is increasing its crude output which negatively affects oil here in russia or at least that's what i would say however china is increasing their overall production which means it's good for the stock market so oil probably going to remain volatile for a while but i'm going to stay in and just kind of ride this one out because sometimes you've got to gamble right i'm forgive i'm going to go for rough spots which is russia's agriculture company they're up one percent it's not a lot but i'm thinking looking ahead everybody needs to eat r

again, the source coming from the nikkei newspaper, an interesting one because you wonder who has been talking to whom about this and where their sources are. the dollar, as we mentioned, had that rally overnight. you can see right now at 99.65. the dow is still within about 2% of its record close and on track for its second biggest weekly gain of a year. the futures as we head into this are looking at this point like they are up about 35 points above fair value for the dow. the s&p is up by over 1 points and nasdaq up by five. we have a great number of people ready to talk about the markets this morning, including haung paulson who will be joining us in studio at 7:00 eastern time. plus, we have marc lasry. we are former wells fargo ceo dick kavasovic. >> it's going to be a big show. thank you, becky. we have corporate news this morning, that music when you first saw becky this morning, that tweety bird song, the reason we're doing that is because twitter filed for its ipo with regulators. making an announcement in its tweet, the social networking site following for an ipo confidentia

there, too. >> yeah, but still up 38% or something year to date, the nikkei average. you would still buy japanese exporters? >> yes, i would. >> that economy, abe, was out this week saying he was going to stick with it. the economy is getting better. do you feel that on the ground in japan? >> absolutely. >> this is an area that hasn't been investable in 20 years and all of a sudden this year becomes investable. >> right. during the correction this spring, a number of people -- traders took their positions off. so, i think there's another opportunity there. i definitely would buy japan here. >> all right. we'll leave it there. byron, nice to have you on the program. thanks so much. >> thank you. >> we'll see you soon. byron wien joining us. adobe systems on the move after hours. the software maker posting results a few moments ago. would he talk with adobe ceo exclusively about earn. coming up, oracle's team going sail to sail against iseriksson team. we'll take you to san francisco bay live. jooifshgs ve in straight talk, not double-talk. if you have the nerve to bel

moment, investors are taking a step back both indeces opened higher and let's have a look at the nikkei that is down by 0.08% at 14,052 points after it managed to hang on to the 14,000 level on thursday and the broader topix is up by 0.15%. we will see how the why know declines against share prices of the exports and we want to keep track of the ten-year japanese government-born yield after the bank of japan maintained their monetary easing policy. back to you. >> all right, sounds good. tokyo is the no the only market open at this hour. i will leave you with a check on those. . >>> prime minister abe has a lot on his mind these days. he is promoting tokyo's bid to host the olympics in 2020 as he meets with world leaders at the g20 summit. abe held separate talks with argentine president. he told fernandez he will make it in time for the general assembly of the international olympic committee. he said he will be the first sitting japanese leader to visit argentina since his grandfather visited in 1959. she wishes the japanese every success with their olympic bid and said she wants to st

shocking change is the first two things they care about is nikkei and yen. i can't imagine sitting down with john boehner and him talking about the currency. that's their objectives, higher nikkei, higher yen. >> policy objectives, so ride that wave. >> don't fight it. >> i have a blackberry and iphone. i keep trying to make the full shift but i'm a keyboard guy. i have the new blackberry. i don't love it. >> good to have you on the program. thank you so much. mike novogratz joining us from fortress. >>> up next, st. louis federal reserve president james bullard says fed could begin tapering sooner than people expect. >> as to whether we'll take action there or not, it's a live meeting and it is possible we move. >> bullard speaks with me about tapering, the economy, and a lot more. top senate harry reid says health care shutting down is a waste of time. congresswoman sandy levin will be with me. he agrees. harry kudlow will be here also. [ male announcer ] let's say you pay your guy around 2% to manage your money. that's not much, you think. except it's 2%

at where we stand today, september 18th, and both indexes well into the positive. 14,426 for the nikkei. and the topix over 14%. given the gains we've seen in the dow, the nasdaq investors are largely accepting that the federal reserve will begin to cut back on its $85 billion a month bond buy back program. given the overall tone of u.s. data, how will stocks react if the fed meets expectations, exceeds them or falls short? analysts i've spoken to say that markets seemed poised for further gains in the long term. here in japan, they're positives as well, the strong policies put forward by the prime minister. and also an overall weaker yen has helped exporters, and business sentiment and encouraging words for the bank of japan have also given positives and boosted sentiments overall. we'll see how the markets react following the fomc meeting. for now, pretty positive. >> people in the markets are also keeping a close eye on the dollar, aren't they? how is it trading this wednesday morning? >> yes, the dollar is a big focus, of course. we'll see how that trades. it's in a bit of a race ri

peter: the nikkei saying this could come as early as next week but the white house spokesperson took an unusual step of tweeting out a denial of this story this morning. latest rumors this morning on the -- in the japanese press aren't true. the president of the united states has not yet made a decision on fed chair. summers is a leading contender for the fed chairmanship so is janet yellen the current vice chair of the fed, the race ramped up a bit in the last week or so, three democrats on the senate banking committee have announced they will not support the summer's nomination meaning you will have to win some republican votes to get his nomination out of the committee. this week more than 350 economists send the president a letter supporting janet yellen for he job so the fed watcher is a cornerstone macro say the race seems open and they give summers and yellen equal laws of getting the nomination but there's a new wrinkle in the contest. fed watchers at the eurasia groups think the president's fight with congress over what to do on syria held summers. in a research note this mo

now it's up about 40% this year alone, the nikkei is.tairs here at the new york stock exchange discussing what we affection atly call abenomics. >> taking victory laps. our next guest says emerging markets is the place to be. >> joining us is a.j. from merrill link. do we start with japan? >> i do like it a lot. >> it has re-emerged. >> absolutely right. i think the valuations are good. we all know about the three arrows. the main thing is the yen has to weaken. that takes off their top line and eps, which is surprising, nicely. i was at a conference in tokyo last week. a lot of clients there are reasonably bullish, which they should be. >> you're talking about emerging markets largely. break this down for us. peter sands said every emerging market is not the same. we know that. where do you see opportunity? >> i like the countries that have been beaten down quite a bit. a like value ideas is russia. i like china tactically. india is controversial. i like that. i like korea quite a bit. they're all different but most are trading at reaso

in fact, for the nikkei and the topix, on the screens, up by more than 1% for both indexes. following the dow's record closing high, we're seeing stocks trading higher here. investors really stepping into buy. however, i have to thad the yen strength continues right now against the dollar. that may weigh on exporters. i'm going to keep track of all of those sectors. in fact, let's have a look at currency levels. of course, a crucial factor in how stocks trade. dollar-yen right now 98.25-27. we're going have to monitor how the dollar-yen trades. the dollar did fall against major currencies and touches the lowest level this month in new york trading, but now with the rally in stoko stocks, the yen may face downward pressure as well. investors are shifting their funds into riskier he assets and lowering the appeal of the safe haven yen. euro dollar -- the euro actually rose against a dollar following the fed's announcement in new york. the euro reaches the highest level in seven and a half months. let's have a look at the euro-yen. bottom of the screen. 132.85-88, so quick focu

in asia, the nikkei down nearly 0.2% in early trade. the cost be in south korea is up as well.mainland china stocks are just slightly higher. in hong kong, disappointment at the stock exchange, following news that ali baba group will issue its ipo in the united states, after talks with regulators broke down over the proposed structure. regulators decided they would not allow the ali baba partners to retain control over board negotiations, and canning all shareholders should be treated equally. you're traditionally permits dual structures. -- new york traditionally permits duals ruptures. -- dual structures. it would have been a big boost to the hong kong exchange, which has seen a slowdown in the past several years. more steps to liberalize the banking industry. the china central bank said on thursday that it will allow commercial banks to price based on market and mark critz. -- market benchmark rates. certificates of deposit pay higher interest than savings accounts. nissan has said it will recall more than 900,000 vehicles globally, due to an excelerator sensor flaw that cou

the nikkei is up 1.5% at 13,771 points after gaining more than 1% yesterday. the broader topix is higher by more than 1% as well. tokyo electric power or tepco is likely to be a major focus today and the shares may attract sharper investors because the japanese government is considering injecting more money into tepco to help the utility company control leaks of contaminated water at the fukushima nuclear plant. today we will also be keeping track of japanese exporters as the yen weaken the against currencies overnight and speaking of the yen, let's take a look at where it is trading right now. dollar yen at 99.57-59 at the same level on monday. touching a-month high. market place are moving out of a safer asset like the japanese currency as the prospect of a military strike retreats. let's take a look at euro yen. now at 131.31-35. up from the 130 mark it was hovering at yesterday morning. investors are buying the euro on opt 34i678 about the eurozone. the managers index for the region are the least on monday with a reading of 51.4 indicating expansion in the

we can see that the nikkei is slightly lower by 0.11%. at 14,716 points after ending almost flat on tuesday. and a broader topic is lower by 0.07% a pretty cautious start after the markets open wednesday. tech cut of 300 billion yen to help boost capital investment in japan, and this is expected to be part of the government stimulus package. we may want to keep track of tokyo electron. we'll see if the company will benefit from the merger deal you mentioned earlier. moving on to currencies, starting with dollar yen first. the dollar is now at 98.78 to 890 yens the yen. trading in the currency was uncertain overnight. there's uncertainty for the monetary easing program especially after some mixed u.s. economic reports on tuesday. the case home index price rose in july. the conference bought consumer confidence index declined in september. now investors will be looking for more direction from upcoming u.s. data on durable goods later today, and advise gdp on thursday. the euro is under some selling pressure on continued speculations that th

the nikkei is higher by 0.34% at 14,101 points. rising from the key 14,000 level. this comes after the index managed to extend to a third day on pedestrian as the yen weakened against major currencies. the topix is higher by about 0.3% as well. for today, the focus will be on the bank of japan as they will conclude the policy meeting. many market players expect the bank to maintain the monetary easying policy or rather they will be looking to what boj governor has to say about the japanese economy at a press conference after the announcement of the bank of japan's decision. let's take a look at currency starting with dollar yen first. it's at 99.72-77 approaching the key 100 level which has not been seen since the end of july. the fed will report shows an expansion in the u.s. economy just like you mentioned. this may be support for the fed to buy the program which has an effect on reducing the supply of the dollar and increasing the value. let's take a look at euro yen. euro yen at the bottom of the screen is at 131.64-69 with the euro higher against the yen. trad

we're watching shares of aztec pharmaceuticals, this on report out of japan's nikkei news that the company will be acquired by otsuka pharmaceuticals in japan for around 90 billion yen, $100 million given where current exchange rates are. aztec pharmaceuticals, a report out of nikkei in japan, that they will be acquired by otsuka pharmaceuticals. no confirmation so far so keep that in mind. now on to diana olick in washington, d.c. >> reporter: mortgage applications moved up 1.3% last week drive-by by small gains in refinances. applications to purchase a home were down a little less than 1%, and they are down 9% for the past four weeks. refis rose 2% week to week after falling for most summer. they are down 15% in the past month on higher rates. refis bumped up as the rate on the 30-year fixed fell slightly from 4.8% to 4.73%. while the rate fell, this is second week in a row that the conforming rate is actually higher than the jumbo loan rate. usually it's the other way around. sue? >> indeed it is. diana, stay with us. let's bring in coldwell banker budge husky. thanks for being here. >>

the nikkei is lower by 0.5%, at 14,668 points, after ending last week up more than 2%. but the yen's strength seems to be hurting market sentiment at the moment. and the broader topix is down about 0.7%. china's manufacturing activity rose to a reading of 51.2 in september, according to hsbc and that's the highest level in six months. and that also sent the shanghai composite up more than 1% for a one-week high on monday. so today we'll see if this is able to help with share prices of china-related companies here in japan, such ooze komatsu. we may also want to keep track of japanese component suppliers to apple after the u.s. tech giant released upbeat sales figures for the latest iphones as you mentioned, ai. and now moving on to currencies. the yen is stronger against the dollar and euro. dollar yen is now at 98.80 to 85. the dollar fell in new york as comments from some federal reserve officials prompted expectations that the fed will maintain its bond buying program for some time. and for now, investors are looking to a string of economic data such as the case shil

in the negative, we'll see how that continues into the morning session but just to remind you the nikkei did end wednesday in the negative and besides its u.s. debt ceiling problems the weaker dollar trend against the yen was also a factor. we'll see if that continues today as well and that's despite data which showed in the u.s. yesterday on wednesday a bounce in durable goods orders as well as a rise in new home sales, so data is really being pushed to the side there, and we might see a little bit more hesitation here as well. we have seen some profit-taking in some of the key sectors which had gained earlier in the month specifically olympic related shares such as infrastructure, construction, real estate and services. we'll see how those fare today. also key exporters have traded lower because of the slightly stronger yen or weaker dollar, if you will, and the latest mergers and acquisitions news in the semiconductor sector also may be a focus there, i'm talking about tokyo electron, of course, after agreeing to merge with its overseas rival, applied materials. so quite a few areas t

tokyo's nikkei lost a fraction. hong kong's hang seng dropped nearly 1%.cerns about the economy and budget battle sends stocks down. on wall street. the dow jones industrials lost nearly 50 points yesterday. the nasdaq composite was down 9 points. >>> bank of america has been ordered to pay $2 million to settle a discrimination suit. a judge with the labor department ruled bank of america applied unfair and inconsistent criteria to black job applicants. the decision affects more than 1100 applicants who were rejected for jobs. >>> blackberry once the dominant name in smartphones is selling itself to a group led by its largest shareholder. the deal is worth $4.7 billion. blackberry signed a letter of intent with fairfax financial. blackberry holders will get $9 in cash for each share. >>> it was the introduction of apple's iphone back in 2007 that began the blackberry downturn and the iphone is still going strong. apple said it sold 9 million units of its new top of the line model the iphone 5s. and the less expensive iphone 5c in the first days of its sale

that's all from nikkei business report. back to you. >> thank you very much. let's give our viewers a look at what else is on the agenda in asia tomorrow. the golden week holiday. the last week you ever want to travel. they are starting in china and hong kong tomorrow. china releases its official pmi gauge for august. the hsbc number disappointed. japan comes out with household spending and jobs data. the b.o.j.'s survey is due ahead of shinzo abe's hiking of the sales tax. the rba is expecting to hold study when it makes its policy decision. ross, you've been to china once, right? >> i have. >> you don't want to be traveling there on a holiday. >> no. it's quite an experience anyway. >> there's a 250 kilometer traffic jam. >> yeah. i got stuck in one jam. a bit scary. i closed my eyes. >>> still to come on the show, keep your eyes very much open. shanghai launches its long awaited free trade zone. >> but is the deal all it's cracked up to be? i have something to say about that. we'll discuss after the break. i want peacocks. peacocks? walking the grounds. in

it also drove the nikkei to a five- week high. stocks expected to benefit from the games led the charge. sportswear manufacturer mizuno saw a surge in shares... and gym shoe maker asics corp also climbed... as did shares of contractors who may build new structures for the games. tokyo's bid committee estimates the games could create about 150- thousand jobs. however, some analysts warn there could be unrealistic expectations about the financial benefits from the olympics. picture this...a painting found in an attic... is confirmed as the work of famous artist-- vincent van gogh.. the painting is called "sunset at montmajour". a report by the independent says it was discovered in a norwegian attic and is likely worth tens of millions of dollars. koch industries is buying electronic component maker, molex. the $7.2 billion deal represents $38.50 per share. the stock closed 31% higher on the news. molex will continue to be an independent unit of koch industries. it is the latest acquisition by the powerful and politically connected k

tokyo's nikkei added a traction.kong's hang sang added a quarter of a percent. >>> talk about a deal. yesterday you could buy a ticket on united airlines for nothing, or close to it. fares were posted on united's website and phone centers for $5 and $10. some fares were listed for free, the only charges being airport taxes. united says it probably had to do with a mistake when fares were entered. united is thinking about if it will honor the no-charge fares. >>> hopeful news for breast cancer patients. a drug manufactured by roche has been found effective in eliminating tumors before surgery. fda gave initial okay to perjeta. the rental is not binding but it could pave the way for full fda approval 37. >>> the slowly recovering job market has been kinder to women than men. women regained all the jobs they lost according to the great recession, according to the labor department. men are still 2 million short. the gender gap is expected to persist until the jobs market is much healthier. >>> the man who changed the way

the nikkei is lower by 0.7% at 13,881 points. moving away from the 14,000 level. and this is after the index rose 3% on tuesday, an improved market sentiment and much weaker yen. and now the broader topix down 0.63%. a strong rally on monday and tuesday, but many investors are still keeping an eye on obama's seeking approval from congress for a military strike on syria. and we'll see how developments there play into the markets. and moving on to currencies. let's take a look at dollar yen first. dollar yen now is at 99.60 to 61, with the dollar higher against the yen as the institute for apply management index showed u.s. manufacturing activity in august. the reading is also the highest level in more than two years. still, the dollar's gains against the yen are somewhat capped ahead of the policy meeting and an important jobs data due out on friday. now, as for the euro, marketplaces are looking to the european central bank meeting on thursday for the decision on interest rates. as we can see there at the bottom of the screen, euro yen is at 131.17 to 24. with the

where does this leave us on the nikkei?ause it looks like if you just resit the curb of the chart this week, that we're tracking back to what we saw in mid-may. do you think that's the direction we are going to witness on the japanese stock market? >> yes. we are start to go hear some positive news from china, as well. overall, i do think that a stock market is making sense, but will it go back and beyond may peak? i don't think so. >> is that going to influence abe's decision to raise the sales tax or not? >> yes. well, it will improve, but i think we will see that the marginal improvement is getting smaller and smaller. that shows a sign that policy may be weakening. >> many thanks for that. >> let's see what other story we're following out of japan on the corporate side today. japanese carbon fibermaker tori industries says it will buy zoltek for $584 million. >> hi, karen. toray's share will lead the globalmaker's percentage to 30%. carbon fiber is stronger and lighter than steel, but the higher price has prevented its

tokyo's nikkei lost more than 1%. hong kong's hang seng was flat. >>> the strong economic recovery keeps sending mortgage rates higher. according to freddie mac, they're almost the highest. they average 14.4%. >>> a disappointing back-to-school season for retailers. the international council of shopping centers reports that sales rose only 3.7% last month. that's a slight increase from july but well below last august's gain of 6%. >>> and google is asking a federal judge to dismiss a class action lawsuit. in a california court thursday, lawyers said googles practice of scanning the content of people's g-mail account is legal but the plaintiffs say it violates california's privacy laws and federal wiretapping statutes. g-mail says it scans e-mails in orders to sell ads. >> if you want access, you have to give up a little bit of privacy lately. >>> coming up on the "morning news," the use of electronic cigarettes soars among teenagers. >>> and an online confession. an ohio manner stars in a powerful video that will almo

tokyo's nikkei is closed for the holiday.et will be paying close attention to the budget this week. last week the dow jones industrial average gained 75 points. the nasdaq composite finished 52 points higher. >>> good news at the gas pump, the average price of regular gasoline dropped 6 cents a gallon in the past two weeks. the lundberg survey says the average price of an unleaded gallon is now $3.62. >>> it's important that the administration advisory panel is expected to recommend that those restrictions on electronic devices be relaxed. "the new york times" reports the new guidelines would allow reading ebooks, listening to podcasts, and watching videos. but using your phones or sending text messages is still out. >>> the big hit at the box office was "prisoners." the film starring hugh jackman and jake gyllenhaal cost $30 million to make and took in $21 million in its opening weekend. last week's top film slid in second and "the family" came in third. some good luck. >> definitely. thank you. >>> well, straight ahead, you

tokyo's nikkei added more than 1%. hong kong's hang seng lost a quarter percent. >>> worries about the economy and looming budget battles sent stocks on wall street lower. the dow jones industrial lost 61 points. the nasdaq composite was down 7 points. jpmorgan is in negotiations over its claims to handle mortgage-backed securities of over $11 billion. the department of justice has been investigating the bank over securities which lost value after the housing market plunged, leading to financial crisis. the settlement would include $7 billion in cash and $4 billion to consumers. >> the financially strapped post office wants to raise the price of a first-class stamp to 49 cents. that would be a 3-cent increase. the post of board says raising the postal stamp price is the last resort. if it is imposed, it would go into effect january 26th. >>> a new high-tech $100 bill is scheduled to go into circulation on october 8th. the new bill still bears the face of benjamin frank, but part of the declaration of independence has b

tokyo's nikkei added more than 1%. hong kong's hang seng lost a quarter percent. >>> worries about the economy and looming budget battles sent stocks on wall street lower. the dow jones lost 61 pointses the nasdaq composite was down seven points. jpmorgan is in settlement over is claims prior to the recession over $11 billion. they have been investigated over the securities which lost value after the housing market plunged, leading to financial crisis. the settlement would include $7 billion in cash and $4 billion to consumers. >> the financially strapped post office wants to raise the price of a first class stamp to 49 cents. that would be a 3-cent increase. they say raising postal stamp is the last resort. if it is imposed, it would go into effect january 26th. >>> a new high-tech $100 bill is scheduled to go into circulation on november 28th. it still bears benjamin frank link but part of the declaration of independence has been added. it'sal part of an effort to make counterfeit bills easier to spot. >>> check out

it gained at 2.5% today, the nikkei. other markets broadly higher. australia also got a boost from the china data and decisive election win from the conservative coalition. a surprisingly strong showing in today's trade for mainly banks. solid economic data may be one of the reasons. according to local media, this was boosted by hopes of the preferred shares program. at bank and pudong bank may issue shares to refinance. shares surged the limit up by 10%. moving on to some top gainers in tokyo. contractors soared with ty say corp. japan last hosted the olympics in 1964 and some of the other real estate stocks, cement and steel makers, and even sports wear companies like mizuno chalked up big gaks. >> thank you so much for that. let's check in on how european markets are fairing on this early morning. we are pretty even steven here. we are currently higher by just a smidge sitting at 306.246789 let's take a look at the individual markets. the cac 40 is up by around 1/10 of 1%. remember, european markets are pretty strong gains in last week's session.

tokyo's nikkei gained a .5%. hong kong's hang seng lost a quarter percent. >>> fears of a possible u.s. strike on syria slowed a rally on wall street tuesday. the dow inched up just 23 points while the nasdaq gain 22 points. >>> jeff bezos is meeting with his staff today on the "washington post" today. last month the amazon founder announced he would buy the newspaper for $250 million. bezos says he wanted to use the three ideas that made amazon such a hit. put the customers first, invest, and be patient. the sale is expected to be final next month. >>> the victims of a texas-sized ponzi scheme are finally getting some of their money back. more than four earring ago texas tycoon r. allen stanford was charged with bilk iing several thousands. >>> we see stadiums and tv shows sell their naming rights. now a smartphone operating system is getting sponsored. the deal puts google and hershey together. google's naming the next version of their android after the kit-kat bar. the internet company has named each operating

the nikkei 225 outperformed finishing higher by 1.4%. not much movement in the dollar/yen space but expectations are the fed may only deliver a modest taper or taper light at this time around. in south korea's quote for a public holiday, australia is in the red down by 0.25%. and india action trading higher but modest 0.3%. as for top gainers in japan, exporters will drop higher today. sharp and toyota they both gained over 1% in today's trade. meantime good nous for kawasaki heavy industries. as tokyo reports, the company won a 1.8 billion$1.8 billion mandate as shares jumped by almost 5% in today's trade. back to you. >> sixuan catch you a little bit later. thanks for now. that's the asian update. meanwhile, china's second biggest wireless carrier says preorders for the apple iphone 5s and 5c has exceeded the 100,000 mark since last week. the new phones will go on sale this friday. >>> and china hushandari is apparently pricing at the top of the range. according to the isr, that would make the hong kong float around $1.3 billion. huish

tokyo's nikkei was unchanged.orng congress's hang seng lost a fraction. >>> on wall street an optimistic day as the risk of an attack on syria appears to be fading. the dow rose 127 points and the nasdaq gained 22 points to finish at its highest level since september 2000. >>> a big shakeup at the dow. three companies are in and three are out. alcoa, bank of america, and hewlett-packard will be dropped from the index of america's top companies because of low stock prices. taking their place, goldman sachs, nike, and visa. it's the biggest change in a decade and will take effect september 23rd. >>> and it turns out that rumors about apple's new iphones were right. the tech giant unveiled the new iphone yesterday. it's faster, has a better camera, and a fingerprint scanner for security. it also introduced the cheaper iphone 5c. it has a new plastic shell and comes in five different colors. both run on the new ios 7 software which will be a free download starting september 18th. >> an many re? >> marlie hall in new y

tokyo's nikkei lost 2%. hong kong hang seng lost 1.5%.he dow jones industrial dropped 192 points at the end of the week. apple's now the world's most valuable franld. according to a company, apple has knocked coca-cola from the top spot for the first time. the report estimates apple's brand value of more than $98 billion. >>> the outspoken owner of dallas mark cuban is going to court today. prosecutors say he avoided $750,000 in losses. >>> another boost in the race for private commercial space exploration. spacex launched an upgraded version of its rocket from the california air force base. the rocket placed a canadian weather satellite into orbit. spacex has a contract with nasa. it hopes to carry astronauts in several years. >>> and the sequel was the winner over the weekend at the box office. "cloudy with a chance of meat balls 2"er anded $35 million. last week's "prisoners" earn $11 million and "rush" pulled in $10 million. anne-marie? >> i hear good things about "rush." >>> straight ahead, your monday morning weather. and in sports,