NO PLACE TO GO: A research institute said the condominium supply in Tokyo and surrounding areas will fall to its lowest since 1993 this year and may decline further
Japan's housing starts fell for a fifth month last month, indicating that stricter rules for obtaining building permits may remain a drag on economic growth in the first quarter of next year.

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LOOKING ABROAD: As big banks tighten their belts in fear of bad deals, the money supply in markets such as Russia offer a way out of the international credit crunch
The international banking sector is grappling with a grave financial crisis at a time when, paradoxically, there is an abundance of ready cash available, notably from emerging market countries.

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The yuan rose the most since China ended its fixed exchange rate to the US dollar in 2005 as the government signaled faster gains to cool the economy and curb inflation.

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Student lender Sallie Mae said it would sell US$2.5 billion in stock and use most of the proceeds to settle contracts requiring the company to buy back stock at prices above current levels.

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TURF WAR: The South Korean company said in a statement it sought a ban on imports of LCD products it says violate four of its US patents
Samsung Electronics said yesterday it had filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission, alleging patent infringements by Japan's Sharp Corp and its US subsidiaries.

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■ RETAL

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