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• China Foreign Inflows Post First Fall in Three Years

  

  China's foreign direct investment inflows fell last year for the first time since the global financial crisis, slipping 4 percent as a troubled world economy curbed investor enthusiasm for deals in emerging markets.

• Hottest Cars from the Detroit Auto Show

  

  With 800,000 visitors expected, companies will gauge whether their newest offerings satisfy consumer demands.

• In New Delhi, Women Marry Up and Men Are Left Behind

  

  There's an unexpected problem in New Delhi's high-end marriage market - there are too few "quality" men, as a growing pool of young women with unprecedented levels of education are seeking and making matches with educated men from higher socioeconomic groups. The New York Times reports.

• India's Gold Gluttons Would Keep Gorging Through Duty Hike

  

  India's passion for gold is putting such a strain on state finances that the government may slap higher import taxes on the precious metal, but demand buoyed by heady inflation and meager savings will blunt the impact of any rise in duties.

• Japan November Core Machinery Orders Rise 3.9%

  

  Japan's core machinery orders rose for a second straight month in November in a sign that companies may gradually increase capital spending, but uncertainty over the global economy could continue to pressure the Bank of Japan to ease policy.

• Why Home Prices in Singapore, Hong Kong Won't Tank

  

  Singapore and Hong Kong now have identical 15 percent levies to slow the foreign money that has added fuel to their overheated property markets - measures that will help first-time buyers but throw the spotlight on investors' next targets.

• World Bank Slashes Global Growth Forecasts for 2013

  

  A frustratingly slow economic recovery in developed nations is holding back the global economy, the World Bank said on Tuesday, as it sharply cut its outlook for world growth in 2013.

• How Mystery Man Scared China Development Bank From Billion-Dollar Deal

  

  When a high-profile, billion dollar deal for a stake in a Chinese insurer was inked in early December, officials at the country's biggest policy bank were asking one question seemly unrelated to the transaction: Who is Xiao Jianhua? Caixin reports.

• Japan's Abe Turns to Southeast Asia to Counter China

  

  The last time he was prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe's inaugural foreign trip was to China. In the job again 7 years later and relations with Beijing now chilly, Abe is turning first this time to the rising economic stars of Southeast Asia.

• Jack Ma to Stand Down as Alibaba CEO, Take Back Seat

  

  One of China's best known corporate leaders, Jack Ma, will step down as CEO of Alibaba Group, the e-commerce firm he founded in 1999 to tap the nation's enormous online shopping potential, saying younger people are better placed to run the company.

• First Shots Are Fired in Global 'Currency War'

  

  Japan has set the stage for a potential global currency war, which could hamper the nascent global recovery and relatively robust stock market.

• Biggest Risk to Asia? Not What You Think

  

  As Asian economies shift into recovery mode, inflation appears to be low on the priority list of central bankers, but HSBC's Asia economist warns against such complacency, as he expects a resurgence in price pressures this year, fueled by wage growth.

• India's TCS Shares Surge on 'Picture Perfect' Earnings

  

  India's largest software services exporter Tata Consultancy Services gained the most in more than eight months in Mumbai trading after posting better-than-expected earnings and prompting a raft of analyst upgrades.

• Who’s Paying the Price of a ‘Gift Crackdown’ in China?

  

  A Chinese government crackdown on lavish spending by officials has pushed expensive liquor and high-end watches out of favor in the luxury gift-giving market, a survey from the Hurun Report, known for its annual China Rich List, showed on Tuesday.

• Chinese Company Places Huge Order for Airbus Jets

  

  BOC Aviation, the aircraft leasing arm of Bank of China, has placed its largest ever order to buy 50 A320 family jets from Airbus at a list price of $5 billion.

• Will Lady Luck Return to Australia This Year?

  

  Often called the "lucky country" because of its rich natural resources, Australia's growth has long been funded by the commodities boom but now, economists say, there are a few other bright spots that could pick up where mining left off.

• Miners in Mali Dodge Conflict, Risks 'Manageable' for Now

  

  Conflict in the West African state of Mali -- the continent's third-largest gold producer -- poses "manageable" risks for miners active in the country's south as Al Qaeda-linked Islamist rebels remain confined to strongholds in the north while former colonial power France continues its offensive against militant bases.

• You Just Can’t Keep This Currency Down

  

  Forget a weakening economy and the prospect of further monetary easing. Here's what will keep the Aussie dollar robust in the months ahead - a rebound in commodity prices and even lower interest rates among the world's big economies.

• Japan Says Confidence in Dreamliner at Stake

  

  Japan's transport minister acknowledged that passenger confidence in Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner jet is at stake,as both Japan and the United States have opened broad and open-ended investigations into the plane after a series of incidents that have raised safety concerns.

• Yen Rebounds After Minister Warns of Excessive Weakness

  

  The yen rebounded from a 2-1/2-year low on Tuesday after Japanese Economics Minister Akira Amari's remarks that excessive yen weakness could have a negative impact on the country sparked profit-taking in heavy bets against the Japanese currency.