UNCERTAINTY: A drop of 4,000 US payroll jobs last month stoked fears of a recession, with analysts saying the problems go far deeper than housing and Fed interest rates
Bruised Wall Street investors, facing a suddenly weaker economic outlook, pinned their hopes on a US Federal Reserve rescue, even as some analysts warn of considerable uncertainty ahead.

[ FULL STORY ]

MORTGAGE WOES: The US lender could cut as much as 20 percent of its work force after it borrowed US$11.5 billion and sold shares worth US$2 billion to stay in business
Struggling lender Countrywide Financial Corp will cut as many as 12,000 jobs as it struggles to deal with challenging conditions in the mortgage industry, the company said.

[ FULL STORY ]

World oil prices rose on Friday on lingering supply jitters as traders girded ahead of an OPEC meeting.

[ FULL STORY ]

UNFAZED: The Taiwanese market largely ignored a warning from Hu Jintao on the planned referendum, although sentiment was dampened by sluggish trading in China
Asian stocks rose for a third week, led by AU Optronics Corp (友達光電) and Woodside Petroleum Ltd after price hikes in liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) and crude oil.

[ FULL STORY ]

The US dollar slumped against other world currencies on Friday after a US government report revealed surprise job losses last month, suggesting a growth slowdown in the world's largest economy.

[ FULL STORY ]

Taiwan ranked 47th in the world in terms of ease of doing business for last year, down four notches from the previous year, an annual report released recently by The World Bank Group showed.

[ FULL STORY ]

Europe's stock markets followed Wall Street sharply downward on Friday after a report showing a surprise drop in US payrolls fueled fears that the world's biggest economy is flagging.

[ FULL STORY ]

The South Korean won rose for a third week on signs the economy can withstand a housing recession in the US, the nation's second-biggest buyer of its exports.

[ FULL STORY ]

Chrysler's new chairman and CEO Bob Nardelli said he planned to keep the automaker's three brands but could cut some products as he leads the company through a restructuring.

[ FULL STORY ]

Motorola Inc executives pledged on Friday to break the company out of its deep slump by rolling out a series of innovative new cellphones rather than a "one-hit wonder" like the Razr.

[ FULL STORY ]

MARKET MOVE: The US$2.5 billion fab will be used to make chipsets, with US restrictions on high-tech exports limiting production to either a 65nm or a 90nm process
Intel Corp yesterday held a groundbreaking ceremony for its first chip factory in China, expanding its presence in the booming Chinese computer industry and boosting Beijing's campaign to lure foreign high-tech investment.

[ FULL STORY ]

■ ELECTRONICS
[ FULL STORY ]