The funds will be used to help small and medium-sized exporters, create jobs, boost a stagnant property market and cover a shortfall in tax revenue.

Gold prices have suffered their sharpest fall since the 1980s, heightening fears among investors that the precious metal's decade-long bull run has ended.

An investigation is under way after two explosions near the finishing line of the Boston Marathon left three people dead and at least 140 injured.

Manufacturing activity in China picked up speed in March, an initial HSBC survey has indicated, adding to hopes of a sustained recovery in its economy.

Fears that Cyprus's two biggest banks may collapse if a bailout is not agreed have seen investors ditch the euro and turn to relatively safer assets.

The won dropped for a fifth day, the longest run of declines in 10 months, after South Korea's unemployment rate unexpectedly climbed to the highest in a year.

Growth in the giant China manufacturing sector in February withdrew from the highest point in nearly two years despite a fourth consecutive month of expansion, a private survey showed Monday, as foreign demand remained unsteady.

Worldwide microprocessor sales are expected to regain strength in 2013 and grow 12% to US$65.3 billion after rising just 5% in 2012 to US$58.2 billion due to weakness in standard PCs and the shaky global economy, according to IC Insights.

The recession in Europe is entering its fifth year and unemployment doesn't look like it will be returning to normal levels anytime soon.

Japan's economy minister surprised financial markets on Tuesday by warning of the potential ill effects of a sharply weaker yen in a rare rhetorical departure from years of attempts by Tokyo to talk the currency down.

The dollar jumped to a two-year high against the yen Thursday on expectations that Japan's new government will lower interest rates to boost the economy, weakening the yen.

Fubon Financial, one of the most aggressive Taiwanese financial firms expanding into the Chinese market, said on Thursday it will buy an 80% stake in China's Firstsino Bank for CNY6.45 billion (US$1.03 billion).

Winter weather complicated travel for many Americans on Wednesday - and left six dead in weather-related accidents, and even forced one NBA team to take the rare step of postponing a game due to the conditions.

Sales shoppers meet last-minute panic buyers as UK shops kick-off traditional discounts two days earlier.

Shares rose early on Monday after the win by Shinzo Abe, who has promised more public spending and says he will implement measures directed at weakening the yen and fighting deflation.

Japan's prime minister dissolved the lower house of parliament Friday to avoid a disastrous freeze in government spending, triggering elections that could result in more aggressive policies to stimulate the country's economy.

When he was first elected in 2008, Taiwan's president, Ma Ying-jeou, offered Taiwanese high hopes that the island's economy would open a new chapter. He promised ground-breaking agreements with China to help end Taiwan's growing economic marginalisation.

On 14 November, people in Madrid and all across Europe participated in a demonstration against government austerity measures.

Sales growth at Wal-Mart has fallen short of market expectations, with the world's biggest retailer saying customers are feeling the pinch.

Hurricane Sandy's economic toll is poised to exceed US$20 billion after the biggest Atlantic storm slammed into the Eastern US, damaging homes and offices and flooding subways in America's most populated city.

Sandy made landfall in New Jersey, causing a record surge of seawater in New York City, flooding car and subway tunnels and leaving much of lower Manhattan without power.

KLA-Tencor posted fiscal first-quarter revenue below expectations and said current-quarter revenue would fall more as chipmakers, worried about the economy, hold off on new orders of manufacturing equipment.

"Solid demand for wireless communications in both packaging and test was the key driver of our business in the third quarter," said Ken Joyce, Amkor's president and CEO. "Lower-than-anticipated supply of 28nm wafers in the early part of the quarter and the overall weakness in the semiconductor market and general economy constrained our growth."

The strong Japanese yen has hurt the country's export competitiveness, while demand has evaporated as growth slowed in most regions. Meanwhile, the country's energy imports have risen following closures of most of its nuclear plants.

Chinese factories are losing pricing power in the worst wholesale-cost deflation since 2009, signaling corporate earnings may deteriorate further and putting a damper on global inflation pressures.

A growing economy typically should see wages grow faster than inflation. This has been the case for most of Taiwan's peers: From 2000 to 2011, real wages - or wages minus inflation - rose an average of 3.8% a year in South Korea, 1.8% in Singapore and 0.8% in Hong Kong. But in Taiwan, workers' real salaries have actually seen zero growth in that time period.

Slowing growth in China and India has hit prospects across the rest of Asia and led the Asian Development Bank to make the biggest cut in its regional economic growth forecast since 2008, according to its chief economist.

Tens of thousands of factory workers took part in a general strike across Indonesia on Wednesday, calling for higher wages, more social security and an end to employers' use of temporary contracts to circumvent the country's strict labour laws.

Jobless numbers hit a grim record of 18.2 million across the eurozone in August, showing an annual rise of well over two million for the recession-stricken single currency area.

Japan has partially approved a plan - without a specific deadline - to phase out nuclear power after last year's Fukushima disaster, officials say.

Dozens of Japanese businesses shut operations in China on Monday and urged expatriates to stay indoors, fearing an escalation of protests triggered by Tokyo's decision to nationalise a group of islands claimed by Beijing.

The US central bank has moved to kick-start economic recovery by restarting its policy of pumping money into the economy via quantitative easing.

Foreign direct investment into China fell in June as an economic slowdown dampened companies' appetite for expansion.

As the Chinese economy continues to sputter, prominent corporate executives in China and Western economists say there is evidence that local and provincial officials are falsifying economic statistics to disguise the true depth of the troubles.

President Obama's visit will highlight the historic public and private investments in new advanced manufacturing, R&D, and education facilities helping to revitalize upstate New York and strategically position the US in the global economy.

The results in France and Greece came after a tumultuous few weeks in which the Dutch government fell and Britain's Conservative-led coalition received a licking in local elections.

Unemployment in the eurozone reached a record high again in March 2012 as spending cuts continued to hit the working population.

Oil traded near the highest price in two days in New York as investors speculated fuel demand may increase amid signs the US economy is strengthening.

"It is likely to mean fewer goods are 'Made in Japan', but more are 'Made by Japan'," said David Rea, Japan economist at Capital Economics.

China posted its largest trade deficit in at least a decade in February after imports of commodities jumped as companies built up supplies.