Tokyo  Nikkei  9637.14  -2.11%
Seoul   KOSPI  2066.26  -2.59%
Shanghai SSEC  2678.49  -0.03%
Hong Kong HSI 21992.72  -1.91%
Singapore STI  3130.34  -1.47%
Mumbai    BSE 17940.55  -0.94%
Sydney   AORD  4408.30  -2.26% 
   
1. Asian Stocks Fall Most Since Mar
The Morgan Stanley Asia Pacific Index fell 2.4%, adding the 2-day decline to 4%, the steepest since Mar 15. Japan's Nikkei dropped 2.1% while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index retreated 2%.
 
2. Standard Chartered Profit Climbs 19%
The Hong Kong-listed banking group posted a net income of US$2.57B for the 6 months ended June 30, as record earnings in HK helped offset a decline in India.
 
3. China Non-Manufacturing Expands at Faster Pace
The official purchasing managers index jumped to 59.6 in July from 57 in June. HSBC's seasonally adjusted business activity index dropped to 53.5 from 54.1 in June. 
 
4. Yamaha Raises Profit Forecast to US$453M
The Japanese motorcycle maker previously estimated a fiscal year profit at US$258.9 million. Net income for the 3 months ended June 30 was US$200.6 million, compared with US$211 million a year earlier. 
 
5. Thailand Gold Reserves Increase to 4.07M Ounces in June
The country owned 3.523 million ounces of gold in May. It purchased 9.3 tons of gold to its reserve in Mar. Bullion accounted for 2.9% of Thailand's total reserves.
 
6. India Said to Give State-owned Refiners US$3.4B Subsidy
India Oil and its rivals will get compensation for selling fuel below cost. The payment was for the 3 months ended June 30, about half of the US$6.57 billion the industry requested.
 
7. China Warns of Choppy US Treasury Market
The remarks by Zhou Xiaochuan, head of the People's Bank of China, were China's first official response to the passage of a US$2.1T deficit-cutting deal by the US government.
 
8. Toyota to Set 8.9M Production Target
Japanese media said the nation's top automaker informed suppliers to prepare for production of 8.9 million this year, with 3.5 million vehicles produced in Japan and 5.4 million units overseas.
 
9. S Korea to Offer US$4.7M Food to North
Government officials said Red Cross will offer the food aid to N Korea. This came after the nuclear envoys of two Koreas met last month during a regional security from Indonesia. 
 
10. Thailand Parliament Sets New PM Vote for Friday
Lawmakers of the nation will decide whether Yingluck Shinawatra will become first female PM. Her Puea Thai party and its partners command a three-fifths majority in the lower house in July.