so shanghai is trying to use ve means to make sure that in future, shanghai will be the only hub in that. narrator: but more than rivers were clogged here. shanghai had to use all its muscle to deal with other kinds of congestion, too. xiang ( translated ): dramatic changes have taken place in shanghai in the last few years. however, little or nhing was done about urban services in shanghai. this led to a number of problems. for example, the streets became choked with traffic there was air pollution and a growing shortage of housing. the size of metropolitan shanghai actually is almost exactly the same size as metropolitan atlanta. the difference in population again-- metropolitan atlanta is about four million people and metropolitan shanghai 17 million people. the population of... of the central city of atlanta is about 350,000. in shanghai, the central city is about ten milon people. so it's intensely occupied lan narratore bestlaceo expand was farther down ithe delta. now the metropolis is overtaking some of china's most fertile soil. the area is called pudong, and it's separated from

you're from shanghai? >> yeah.ast in modern times, it's hard to imagine that any place has changed as profoundly and is changing as quickly as it is changing here. >> we really feel proud. we really feel proud. our qualities of life is improving really, really fast. >> in a poll, 85% of chinese who were asked the question, do you feel that your life will be better next year, 85% said yes. it will be better next year. that's an extraordinary -- >> number. >> -- number. i don't know a lot of other countries that would say that. >> yeah. >> that looks great. famous chicken. >> chicken. >> mm. so good. >> not bad. >> you know, i'm finding this food really, really delicious. you're saying it's just so-so? >> it's okay. so-so. >> wow. ♪ ♪ ♪ "what is it that we can do that is impactful?" what the cloud enables is computing to empower cancer researchers. it used to take two weeks to sequence and analyze a genome; with the microsoft cloud we can analyze 100 per day. whatever i can do to help compute a cure for cancer, that'

but shanghai has been overheating in recent months. stocks of the same firms in hong kong are about 20% cheaper. buyers have been hunting these shares. easing financial regulations in china have also helped ignite trading in hong kong. last november a new trading system started in hong kong and shanghai. up until then only institutional investors authorized by the chinese government have been able to buy hong kong listed stocks. but individual investors couldn't. now, however, they can also tap the same markets through the shanghai. that's not all. at the end of last month chinese authorities announced plans to allow mutual funds to participate in trading in both cities. this sent mainland investment money pouring into hong kong. shenzhen is a booming chinese city located next to hong kong. a series of investor seminars were recently held there. this is a seminar in shenzhen hosted by hong kong brokerage. individual investors are hungry for tips on how to trade stocks. the securities houses now trying to grab new clients before the pla

"asia ♪ shanghai swing.n fall and then rise again as investors weigh out contradictory measures. bank in an effort to revive growth. beijing's for me security chief accused of spying on the top leadership. >> also coming up this hour, shanghai surprise. china's biggest motor show is set to open. billion-dollar baby. furious seven could drive a record-breaking summer at the box office. officials sayan kim jong-un has scaled the highest peak in the country. asian stocks today trending --er, falling -- causing following a selloff in the u.s.. leaders are fleeing into stimulus mode. shanghai rising 1% for the first -- for the third consecutive day.

also catch up to the shanghai composite.ther rally for the hang seng. one point in today's trading. it surges 6.5%. currently trading up 3.4%. investors are thinking that it may catch one the shanghai composite. of course today falling 1.3%, but remember in the past three weeks, the shanghai composite closed lower only two times. in the past 12 months, it surged 90%. in the past 14 months it doubled. mainland investors are now asking -- are now getting these stocks or buying hong kong stocks through the hong kong shanghai stock connect. we saw yesterday the turnover was at a record especially after mainland authorities made it easier for domestic funds to trade in the hong song shanghai stock connect. anna? caroline: what is the outlook for this rally? are we expecting the stocks to surge or is it the hong kong stocks that are going to play catch up? >> analysts are saying mainland shares are expected to outperform hong kong stocks because they are more susceptible band they benefit from looser monetary policy of course with

adrian brown sent this report from shanghai. >>reporter: 25 years ago, owning a car was still a dream for most chinese people. today the country's the world's fastest growing auto market and this is arguably the industry's most important trade event. dominated once more though by foreign brands. >> i think it's still growing. it's an exciting place in the world. there's a lot of opportunities. >>reporter: but it's not all good news. car sales are declining here falling from 13 to 7% last year. one of the reasons, china's slowing economy. and there is another reason. the government's anticorruption campaign means that many local officials don't want to be seen driving around in vehicles that could even be vaguely described as a luxury model. and that is denting the market for premium cars. sales of electric cars also remain in the slow lane. as part of efforts to curb pollution and promote a domestic car industry the government wants 5 million energy saving vehicles on the roads by 2020. so far, the figure is fewer than 100,000 b

nhk world, shanghai. >> thanks very much for that report. now, considering china's population we're certain to see superplayers emerge from china in the years to come. >>> people in southeastern europe are still having to deal with stormy weather conditions. our meteorologist sayaka mori is here with an update. >> it's a strong low pressure system has been affecting southeastern portions of europe like italy and the balkan peninsula, as well as turkey with stormy conditions. this system is a very strong one and also slow-moving system so it has been causing stormy weather in a similar location. and also this is packing very cold air in the upper atmosphere so the mountains are seeing snow and because of temperature difference between the sky and the ground severe weather, especially thunderstorms, are happening over the same location. now, there is a chance for tornadoes, actually in areas shaded in red. also thunderstorms and strong gusts will likely happen in the area shaded in yellow means there's that slight risk for severe weather. this

. >> in china, car lovers are gathering for the 16th shanghai motor show. china is the world's biggest auto market but demand for new cars is falling. salz for 2014 are set to rise by only 8%. this is almost half of what it was two years ago. foreign car makers are set to unveil new products at this week's shanghai show. this is despite the slowdown. it's estimated that china invested close to $13,000,000,000 in the car industry last year. the slow down is gamed on an increasing number of cities. placing restrictions on car sales in order to tackle pollution. adrienne brown has more from shanghai. >> this is arguably china's most important trade event, the biggest auto show anywhere in the world. >> that's astonishing. when i came to this country, private car ownership was basically unheard of last year some 23 million vehicles were sold in china but in percentage terms, sales are falling from 13% in 2013 to 7% last year. there are a number of reasons for that: china's economy is slowing. also the government's intense intensifying campaign against corruptio

and shanghai 16 degrees on your friday. now down to palau, where the japanese royal family is visiting, april is actually kind of an end of the dry season so we may see some isolated showers. but typically, mostly dry as we go in to the weekend in palau with much higher -- quite high temperatures for you. now, further down to the southern hemisphere we are seeing severe weather happening over the coast of new south wales and victoria. we have report of hail in sydney. and also 70 millimeters of rain in canberra. that's much more than monthly rainfall for april for this time of year. now the system is pulling away so conditions are actually easing. however, strong winds will continue in the sydney area into your thursday we still have warnings for strong winds posted into thursday in sydney. now across the americas we have a couple of storms. right here this system caused two tornadoes on tuesday in kansas. the system has weakened slightly. but it's still capable of producing thunderstorms for wide area. thunderstorms will b

shanghai rising 1% for the first -- for the third consecutive day. people are saying, analysts are saying that this uncertainty over the chinese stock market is weighing down on shares. south korea's indexes all the -- index is also down. rishaad: for those unconvinced by china's stimulus a chinese economist joins us from beijing. what is the motivation behind all of this? >> i think there is two factors at work. firstly, as a practical matter, china is seeing funds flow out of the economy. affect reserves are -- for exchange reserves are shrinking so lowering the reserve requirement ratio is necessary just to replace the funds that are leaving. secondly, the bigger consideration for chinese leaders, is concerned that growth is too weak and that previous rate cuts and reserve requirement cuts have not been enough to revive loan demand. the price cuts in the reserve requirement ratio that we saw on sunday, a four percentage point cut, where normally the central bank moves in half a percentage point in -- half a percentage point increments, really show

so basically freed up the ability to get in there and trade shanghai shares here. so i guess the point that i want to make here is that i wouldn't look at this rally in the shanghai and say wow, things are better in china. it doesn't matter what a stock market's always doing. we know that they're easing. we know there's a lot of things over there. i wouldn't take it that way to run in and buy china on better expectations. >> i guess i would agree, but i would add to the fact that remember the housing market is slowing down. a lot of people taking their savings, putting it into different type of products, wealth management products that were in the housing market. so now that money's coming out and it's not going to macau and it's going into the stock market, so i agree. i wouldn't look at china's stock market as saying oh, there's great value there. it is simply just, you know, running up because everybody's opening accounts. >>> coming up next, "fast money" madness. we head back to the payment space for a second-round battle between intuit and paychecks. which sto

china's biggest city shanghai is preparing to introduce a new law to force polluted vehicles off theaust fumes have been blamed for the country's worsening air quality and new law in effect on may the first. and china correspondent brown reports. >> reporter: business is slow at this second-hand car market. so traders go away playing cards or board games. they really are for the board. he had a dealership for eight years but he fears he may soon have to close as others have done done. >> translator: actually a lot of people in this business have disappeared because it is now so hard to do business. >> reporter: demand for second-hand as well as new cars took a hit from an earlier government decision to restrict car sales to tackle worsening air pollution problems. now the authorities are going a step further, cars that fail to meet new exhaust emissions standards will be taken off the road even if they are only a few years old. >> translator: we hope they can be more relaxed on car emissions and issue more license plates. >> reporter: both owners and dealers want the government to ra

in china they are gathering for the 16th shanghai motor show and china is the biggest auto market andor new cars is not rising as fast as it used to and sales for 2015 are set to rise by only 8% that is almost half of what it was two years ago. foreign car makers set to unveil new products at this week's shanghai show despite the slow down and estimated that china invested close to $13 billion in the auto industry last year and the slow down is also being blamed on increasing number of cities placing restrictions on car sales in order to tackle pollution. and brown has more now from shanghai. >> reporter: this is arguably china's most important trade event, certainly the biggest auto show anywhere in the world, that is astonishing because when i came to the country 26 years ago private car ownership was basically unheard of. last year some 23 million vehicles sold in china but% percentage terms it's falling from 13% in 2013 to 7% last year and there are a number of reasons for that. china's economy is slowing. also the government is intensifying campaign against corruption is hitting

i have seen more of the car model out of shanghai.ner the first time el went over there in terms of what the automakers were doing. >> melissa, i just want to be clear, i swear, i honestly just meant the types of cars. geneva is known for the crazy concept cars. droid you get the new -- >> okay brian, whatever you saying. >> you're not going to believe me are you? >> i'm not going to believe you. america still doesn't believe you. >> phil? >> no i don't. >> have you driven the new ndong fang. >> sing i'm not in china, i have to be honest i have not. >> okay. soon. >>> a big upgrade in the oil world to talk about. we call it "street talk" coming up. speaking of oil. final trades are crossing and crude oil having a heck of a month. another big day today. "power lunch" returns after this. ideas come into this world ugly and messy. they are the natural born enemy of the way things are. yes, ideas are scary and messy and fragile. but under the proper care, they become something beautiful. >>> i'm mary thompson here's your cnbc update at th

but shanghai has been almost a double the past year. it is outperforming us also year to date. >> incredibly impressive. and the trade thing volume over there is really strong. that stands out to me. when you look here, the one thing that stands out here is the lack of trading volume. the last three, four, five trading sessions have been absolutely incredibly low. 3 million, 4 million off the option markets. steve can speak to the new york stock exchange volumes. i know it's spring break. i know there are a lot of excuses we can use. but the volumes are terrible here. they are strong over there. and over the average, china mobile is one name where i've been pounding the table a long time on that name. because of the apple. as the apple continues to roll out over there, i think it's absolutely in cell. the market share they have been able to gain. and china mobile, 59% of that margin. >> cross that off. >> i was never big on saying it's spring break. there's always a reason not trade. you can trade when you're away on vacation. you can t

first, the shanghai spilled into the hong kong hang seng.y open for three days this week it gained more than 7%. london not letting the fight down. monster energy deal, shell-bg group becomes the world's biggest energy company. not the biggest deal we seen, but it could be the deal of the year. we are joined now by guy johnson. you are getting happy with that. guy: you want to talk about the markets? jonathan: equities, record highs. the french five-year yield below zero. nevermind about germany. guy: i think that's the point. you and i are always bantering back and forth. we reached a point now where when the german bond goes negative, we are going to sit back in our chairs, jan, and say , that was exciting, wasn't it? this process is underway. jonathan: is that worrying? guy: it is worrying. you've got to the point where the market is a little desensitized to this stuff. when you get a snap back, i think it will be quickly. but i'm really desensitized to this stuff. this is the ongoing process. that line has been going in that direction fo

it is shanghai's biggest scrap yard for cars. officials have a problem. because of the volumes, they are running out of space. >> the problem is piling up. between 40 and 50 vehicles arrive every day. 90% having failed the test. thousand of other condemned cars are on the road having been sold to owners and downed and cities where the new restrictions don't apply for now avoiding this fate. . generations with jobs in coal. but on january 9th, 2014, the state woke up to an example of the costs of it's industrial economy. a tank containing a chemical used the process of coal production had leaked its contents into the elk rive

this boy lives about one hour's drive from shanghai. he's in second grade now. he has used the japanese school bag since he entered elementary school. >> translator: it's really easy to use. >> reporter: his family has an average income. so the school bag was a big purchase for them. but his mother decided to get one for her son after hearing that they can stand up to wear and tear for years. >> translator: it was a bit expensive, but it's a once in a lifetime purchase. so i decided to get it. >> reporter: for the makers of these japanese school bags the potential of the chinese popularity is of greater interest to them. because of japan's dwindling birth rate they can't expect much interest in domestic sales. one long-stabbed bagmaker is planning to expand its sales in china by starting production there. this man is in charge of marketing. >> translator: we're hoping to cut our prices to around half the current level. >> reporter: in february kita took part in an international trade show in shanghai to expand his sales network. it was his assessment that the cu

nhk world, shanghai. >> that's it for business news. i'll leave you with the markets. >>> japanese tennis player has taken top honors at the barcelona open for the second year in a row. he's now won more international tournaments than any tennis player from japan. he faced pablo from spain in sunday's final. he struggled with his serve in the beginning and lost the first game, but he found his rhythm and won the opening set. he dropped the first and second game. s of the second set but some crisp returns helped him regain his momentum. he was the tournament's top seed. he won 6-4, 6-4. he's ranked fifth in the world. this was his second win of the season and his ninth career title. >>> now here on "newsline," we turn to world weather. strong storms slammed the u.s. southern plains on sunday with more severe weather ahead for monday. our meteorologist is here with the forecast. >> hello, we are keeping an eye on a couple low pressure systems rolling over texas and because of that, we're looking at the possibility of seeing some more stro

reporter: this ought to be one of the hotspots of the shanghai auto show. this is the stand of china's most established electric carmaker. for years, the government has been offering all kinds of incentives to encourage people to buy these vehicles. so far, it hasn't had a huge amount of impact. electric car sales only account for about 1% of the chinese market. tesla motors, the high-end manufacturer of electric vehicles, said it would cut some of its staff in china. what is the problem? one of the downsides has been simply the lack of charging stations. china has only about 400 of these in the whole country. with concerns about the environment growing in current -- china, we are seeing signs of some major new players entering the chinese market. alibaba, china's biggest internet company, for example, has said it will work together with shanghai automotive's to build a new internet-connected vehicle. you will see new electric cars new hybrid cars. volkswagen has a new electric. there is a new audi hybrid. there is a lot of investment going in. the chinese

link shanghai -- with the southern province.op corporate stories this offer -- hour, i am rosalind chin. ipos, expect more china in april, the approved 30 more. this month -- very approved 30 more to come through this month. we have our china correspondent .atching in beijing christine, what are the details? number of chinese ipos this year has steadily been rising. and less in january february because of the new year's holiday. last thursday they approved 30 ipos for april. this is of course as we are seeing chinese stocks rally with the shanghai composite closing at the highest since march 2008. the shanghai composite has risen and shenzhen at 56%. a lot of companies looking to raise cash with the bullish sentiment and with the ipos approved, 17 of the 19 and change on -- on shenzhen. that is good because some are saying that the risk of bubbles smaller index and because they are naturally more speculative in nature so the more stock on offer the more balanced the risk of the small indexes become. the biggest ipo expected to b

it is setting sail to its new home port of shanghai.antage of expanding in china, not having to deal with the stodgy, old images of a typical cruiser. in china, the cruise liners can start with a clean slate. richard: this whole concept is new and exciting. there is no old-fashioned myths about cruising. there is none of this cruising is for old people. if you are a family traveler, you can enjoy it together. how many vacations can you have where a 70-year-old and a 20-year-old can go together and both rave about it? so, we have that, and it is extraordinary. there are not many places you can do that. china, the family bond is stronger than in the western world. so, the ability to offer multi traveling in china is even more viable. betty: carnival ceo arnold donald has no intention of being left in royal caribbean's wake when it comes to china. he says it is a market that they are ready have both feet in since 2006. arnold: we sail to over 700 ports in the world every year. we source from everywhere. we have four ships home ported in ch

the shanghai composite gaining as well.lobal investors really taking note of key sectors such as high-tech, transport, and consumer-driven shares. i'll definitely be watching out for those exchanges as well. ai. >> and in currencies we saw some volatility in the dollar after those fed minutes came out. how are key pairs trading now? >> definitely that pair was closely watched. 120.13 to 15 right now. it actually initially slipped against the yen after the fed policy minutes were out. they're showing officials a little bit split over the timing of a rate hike indicating the fed may be unsure over the direction of the u.s. economy. it's in a bit of a tight range right now. on the euro the dollar's a little stronger. weekly jobless claims as well as industrial production in germany may be a further guide for that pair. now of course i'll have more on all of those plus the sectors here in japan, which may be affected by the gains in china. that's all for me. back to you. >> sounds good ramin. thanks a lot. and as we've been dis

prime, shined and ready, cars go on the show in shanghai but will new models be rolled out and how top the slowing sales. lewis hamilton wins grand prix and attempts for another race in the middle east hit a speed bump. ♪ lebanon received the first shipment of french maid weapons in a deal worth $3 billion and funded by saudi arabia, the weapons are supposed to be use to defend lebanon border and mohamed joins us live now from the lebanese capitol beirut and tell us why these weapons are so crucial for the lebanese government? >> well, sammy, the lebanese government said for a while they are in dire need of weapons because of the threat they are facing and the country are facing from groups of i.s.i.l. or al-nusra and since the syrian crisis began you see a spill over of violence intermittently in lebanon and refugee crisis has brought with it over a million refugees in the country and extremist and extremist groups and because of that lebanese army said they needed somebody to bolster capabilities and in need of arms to protect this vital country. saudi arabia fronted this money and

we'll tell you about the connection between shanghai's smog and this scrap yard. >> al jazeera americangs you a first hand look at the environmental issues, and new understanding of our changing world. >> it's the very beginning >> this was a storm of the decade >>...hurricane... >> we can save species... >> our special month long focus, fragile planet ♪ ♪ >>> you are watching the al jazerra news show. here is a reminder of our top stories. captain of a ship that sanction off the coast of libya has been charged with multiple count of manslaughter in italy. more than 800 people were traveling on board the vessel the victims were on their way to europe but most died when the ship went down of the forces voice to president hay say they have pushed back houthi fighters and taken control of their positions near aden airport. there has also been fierce street battles. >>> cairo court is expecting to deliver its first verdict in the trial of deposed egyptian president mohamed morrisey. he's charged with inciting the killing of protesters in connection with the deaths of 10 people outside the

four ships home ported in shanghai.urrently carries chinese passengers to countries like japan and south korea. last year, donald put his chief operating officer, alan buckelew, in shanghai and signed a deal to develop the cruise industry with a local operator, china merchants group. arnold: there is a lot of work to be done in china. we have to have ports developed so the chinese guests have destinations to go to. but the reality is that it a good market already today. we have four ships there. three on our castle line, one on our princess line. both brands are profitable. the chinese government has declared through their five-year economic plan their intention to develop the cruise industry. so that means a lot of things will happen relatively quickly. we want to be there to help make it happen in a way that we think will help the chinese government establish the cruise industry they want, that will be sustainable for years to come. betty: so how often are you there now? arnold: i have been on the job a year and a hal

some are talking about the valuation gap between the shares in hong kong and shanghai.at set to continue? richard: that's something that has been drawing mainland investors. the discount has widened in terms -- often, they are the same stocks trading in hong kong. those dual listed shares they are still cheaper in hong kong. they are looking here to try and buy bargains. they are allowed to buy some 10 billion yuan every day. that has been exhausted yesterday and today. previously, there was very little mainland interest in hong kong. now, you are seeing local investors pouring into the market in anticipation that those funds are going to increase. as a result, we are seeing increased volatility. anna: richard thank you very much. richard frost joining us with the latest on emerging markets. stay with us for more on emerging markets stocks. mark mobius will join us in 30 minutes time. here are bloomberg's top stories this morning. jamie dimon has said that last year's volatility in u.s. treasuries is a warning shock to investors. the ceo of j.p. morgan chase said the fl

we'll tell you about the connection between shanghai's smog and this crack down. >>> plus it is beingibed as thailand's biggest ivory bust. >>> and in sports the nhl playoffs return to winnipeg for the first time in nearly 19 years, but was it a happy homecoming against the anaheim ducks? details straight ahead. just because i'm away from my desk doesn't mean i'm not working. comcast business understands that. their wifi isn't just fast near the router. it's fast in the break room. fast in the conference room. fast in tom's office. fast in other tom's office. fast in the foyer [pronounced foy-yer] or is it foyer [pronounced foy-yay]? fast in the hallway. i feel like i've been here before. switch now and get the fastest wifi everywhere. comcast business. built for business. >> monday. >> it's crazy money that you can make here. >> behind america's oil boom. >> it's a ticking time bomb. >> uncovering shocking working conditions. >> do you know what chemicals have been in that tank? >> and the deadly human cost. >> my big brother didn't wake up the next day. >> "faultlines". al jazeera a

the shanghai composite is up. more and more traders pour into the market.ewly opened asia trading account. i want to bring in the final thoughts. what mia investing in? would you call it that question mark >> the mentality is coming. it was loud. the mutual funds invest in shares in hong kong. the reason is very clear and this is part of a bigger deal. the cross-market settlement is internationally. it is a plan and you have to be careful of valuation. there is a discount between the stocks in the asian market and hong kong. the 30% premium to the hong kong is the same share. that is the rally. that is the stock of the hong kong exchange. it was up almost 20%. jon: the quota is maxed out. the hang seng has 87 .2, the highest since october 1993. too far too fast? >> it is far. i would not say it would not continue. even with this, the volume is 250 billion, still below the shanghai market. it is going to be very very well. jon: margin that is jumping. do you want to buy into that? you have to stomach volatility. >> i'm happy the market is going up. everythin

on to the shanghai market up to a fresh seven-year high. they reacted positively to the news of widening the social security fund. in australia it went up .65%. they're expected key interest rate cuts next week. hong kong was higher by .77% but the indonesian market fell almost .2%. >>> a tankan survey shows another problem, they can't afford the labor they need. respondents said they have excessive employment against those who didn't. the index fell two points to minus 17. minus figures were seen in large and smaller manufacturers as well as nonmanufacturers. this implies there is a labor shortage regardless of size and sector. for workers this could mean an increase in pay. for managers at smaller businesses there could be more pressure on earnings. manufacturers exact to grow 5%. managers able to find enough help are hiring as many as they can, and they're changing the way they recruit. they now want graduates with job ready skills. >>> managers welcomed new employees at their head quarters in central japan. 1500 new workers joined the c

shanghai up nearly 1.6%.hinese trade data, looks like hong kong exchanges are on top interns of the hang seng percentage movers. the composite is doing well. chinese stocks listed here up by more than 1%. tech stocks continue to advance and financials seeing good gains today. looks like the casinos are losers in the hong kong market. down in thetainment order of 3.4%. keep an eye on those macau gaming stocks. let's look at what is happening in the hang seng enterprises index. these are the chinese companies listed in hong kong. we see huge investor interest in these stocks, because they are more of a bargain here than they are in china. that's why we have seen this rush to get into hong kong shares. right now, we see of 1.2% advance. you do see some selling pressure. this is not all about gains at the moment. consumer services, utilities, telecoms. the real action is in industrial socks and financials. let's look at some of the industrials that are moving. shares,tion related perhaps on optimism that the prop

you can look at the shanghai closing at 4,218.s as investors fear further crackdown from regulators who are tighten irthing grip on beijing's soaring markets. >> it was very toll avial and the emphasis of course was on the greater china markets. yes, we saw that action by the authorities in beijing over the weekend with a rrr and they cut it more aggressively than most in the market did expect. 100 basis points and the aim here is to encourage credit growth, to encourage bampings to to get liquidity going. initially we did see a positive reaction. we saw china stocks up by 1%. they did reverse course and as you pointed out, down by 1.6% at the close. let's net forget as well that the authorities in beijing, the securities regulators are trying to take the steam out of the market rally. they clamped down on margin financing. let's not forget this very staggering statistic, we have now surpassed the 1 trillion yuan mark. it could be a brutal one if it is corrected. that is probably the overriding factor here. that is probably why it

moving on to chinese markets the shanghai composite jumped 2.71%. it posted its biggest gains in three months. investors expect the government to follow up weak gdp figures this week with a new round of stimulus. in sidney they closed at 5947. it snapped a three day losing streak following the release of better than expected jobs data for march. many other asian markets ended higher today. hong kong closed 0.4% higher investors are expecting more money to flow in from mainland china. kospi rose 1% hitting another four year high. >>> property developers in greater tokyo are struggling with the rising costs of labor and materials. they say that's affected construction. it's the third month in a row they've put fewer new condominiums up for sale than last year. analysts at the real estate economic institute say in march nearly 4,500 units came on the market in tokyo in three neighboring prefectures, down 4% from a year ago. the analysts say last year's consumption tax hike is another factor behind the slump. they say it's a different story in the cente

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the hang seng fell on concerns in the financial sector which weighed on the shanghai composite which ended flat. here in tokyo earnings will remain a big focus. we're going to have sony and nomura among the big names who will release earnings today. i'll have a morning wrap of how those shares trade and some of the asian indexes. back to you. >> ramin mellegard from the tokyo stock exchange where the nikkei and the topix are trading in the negative this morning. >>> small communities without high profile attractions often find it hard to draw attention from tourists from people in bungotakada are trying to change that in an unconventional way. they are focusing on foreign visitors by turning back the clock. nhk world's keiko aso reports. >> reporter: a delegation from south korea is value visiting bungotakada. they came to study the city, which has been remodelled to look like a town during the economic boom of the 1950s. the visitors are experiencing how japanese lived and played in the post-war years. residents in bungotakada have worked hard to recreate this period of history. as