Tokyo  Nikkei  9057.26  -0.55%
Seoul   KOSPI  1892.67  +0.68%
Shanghai SSEC  2601.26  -0.26%
Hong Kong HSI 20289.03  +0.38%
Singapore STI  2828.53  -0.15%
Mumbai    BSE 16840.80  +0.66%
Sydney   AORD  4371.80  +1.26% 
    
1. HK Stocks Gain after China Announces Supporting Measures
Hang Seng Index jumped 0.38% after Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang said Beijing will encourage the territory to become a center for trading yuan. China will soon allow foreign investors to use the yuan to buy up to US$3.1 billion worth of mainland securities. 
 
2. S Korea Approves US$84B LNG Deal
The government gave green light for the state-owned Korea Gas to import 3.64 million tons of LNG from Royal Dutch Shell's Prelude gas project for 26 years starting 2014. 
 
3. Singapore July Exports Fall 2.8% on Year
The figure in non-oil domestic exports was worse than expected, as electronics shipments dropped 17% in last month from a year earlier. On a month-on-month basis, NODX was down 2.3%. 
 
4. Bank of Thailand to Sell US$1.67B Bonds
The central bank will sell the retail bonds to the public later this month. The coupon rate of the 3-year floating-rate bonds and the 7-year bonds will be fixed on Aug 25.
 
5. China Rail Construction Investment Plunges 26% 
The amount was US$6.4 billion in July, compared with US$8.7 billion a year earlier. The country decided to suspend approvals for new rail projects after a high-speed train collision on July 23 which killed 40 poeple.
 
6. Manchester United to Raise US$1B in Singapore
The Wall Street Journal said the English Premiere League football team is seeking an IPO in Q4, as it changed its mind to list in Singapore instead of Hong Kong. The club was delisted in London Stock Exchange in 2005.
 
7. Bumi Posts US$62M H1 Operating Profit
The Indonesian coal producer's underlying earning was US$54 million, but it reported a net loss of US$308 million. The firm acquired two Indonesian coal producers last year for US$3 billion.
 
8. Gas Malaysia Said to Raise US$252M in IPO
Sources said the energy distributor is planning to sell shares by the end of this year in Kuala Lumpur, but the exact size of the IPO hasn't been made public.
 
9. S Koreans Sue Apple over iPhone User Information
A group of more than 25,000 S Koreans are suing the US technology giant for what they claim are privacy violations related to the collection of iPhone user location information. 
 
10. At Least 20 Missing in Nepal Boat Accident
Local police said the boat was carrying at least 35 people in the southern part of the country and only a dozen have been accounted for. The exact number of missing is unknown.