Chinese shares slightly climbed on Friday following an eight-day losing streak that saw the key Shanghai index slumping to its lowest level in six months.
Volatility is the new normal for Japanese stock investors, as the market swings from optimism to apprehension.
China's total bank assets at home and abroad were worth 133.6 trillion yuan at the end of 2012, a 17.9 percent rise on the previous year.
Banks have reported a fifth consecutive quarterly rise in the value of their bad loans, the China Banking Regulatory Commission said on Friday.
The annual return of China's Social Security Fund in the past 12 years stood at 8.4 percent, the fund's vice-chairman said on Thursday.
Increased brokerage income boosted by the booming A-share market helped swell the profits of most securities companies in China in January.
Liquor companies' share prices and sales have slumped sharply, pressured by a ban on government and military banquets that serve alcohol.
China's central bank has injected a record amount of cash into banks via open market operations to ease liquidity ahead of the holiday spending spree.
China's encouraging policies for the biological industry are supporting the biopharmaceutical sector's share prices, industry observers said.
Banks from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan on Wednesday launched New Taiwan Dollar and yuan business on both sides.
Prediction is as hard as it gets. Most people, however competent they are in the present, have little clue when it comes to the future.
Investors are bullish on China equities, with optimism fueled by the emphasis from new Party chief Xi and Vice-Premier Li on the need for reforms.
Forty-six banks in Taiwan started to provide yuan services on Wednesday, after the yuan clearing system kicked off there.
Credit Suisse Group said that it is bullish on Chinese equities, favoring small-capitalization stocks that stand to benefit from improving economy.
After brown haze hovered over Beijing for two weeks in January, calls to cut back on fireworks during Spring Festival celebrations have increased.
The business scope of China's securities companies may be extended, as the top regulator plans to ease a rule on approving brokers' branches.
China released the first management method for the over-the-counter equity transfer system for non-listed small and medium-sized enterprises.
The Thailand-based Charoen Pokphand Group has bought HSBC's shares in Ping'an Insurance Co, replacing the latter as the insurer's largest holder.
China's urbanization drive will create "appealing" business opportunities for US investors, a leading Chinese trade promoter said.
China's investor confidence index rose 24.36 percent month-on-month to stand at 62.8 in January, according to a recent survey.
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