BusinessWeek.com -- Asia



Where China Hides Its Debt (Jul 29)
Cities can't borrow much. Specially designed companies can


Chalco Buys Stake in Rio Tinto Iron Ore (Jul 29)
Aluminum Corp. of China Ltd., the nation’s biggest producer of the metal, agreed to pay $1.35 billion for a stake in Rio Tinto Group’s Simandou iron ore project in Guinea, making its first investment in the commodity.


China Approves Geely's Volvo Purchase (Jul 29)
China’s Ministry of Commerce said it has approved Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co.’s purchase of Ford Motor Co.’s Volvo Car unit, paving the way for completion of the $1.8 billion acquisition agreed by the two companies in March.


Sony Raises Profit Forecast on TV Sales (Jul 29)
Sony, the world’s No.3 television maker, upped its earnings forecasts on sales of TVs and game consoles


Japan Mulls More Stimulus on Weak Production (Jul 29)
Japanese industrial production probably grew at the slowest pace in more than a year last quarter, adding pressure on the government to extend consumer incentives as export growth cools.


Panasonic Plans Sanyo Buyout (Jul 29)
Panasonic Corp., the world’s largest maker of rechargeable batteries, will offer to buy full control of Sanyo Electric Co. and Panasonic Electric Works Co., three people familiar with the matter said. Panasonic may sell $5.7 billion of new shares to finance the acquisitions, Reuters said.


SK Telecom Profit Rises (Jul 29)
SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest mobile-phone operator, saw second-quarter profit climb 17 percent


Hyundai Auto Sales up on Overseas Demand (Jul 29)
Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea’s largest automaker, said it expects to beat its annual revenue forecast after posting record profit on brisk overseas sales that offset sluggish domestic demand.


Agricultural Bank Boosts Size of IPO (Jul 29)
Agricultural Bank of China Ltd. boosted the size of its initial public offering to about $20.8 billion after selling more stock in Hong Kong, taking it closer to becoming the largest first-time share sale.


Sony, Panasonic Withstand Strong Yen With Forecasts (Jul 30)
Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp., the world’s largest consumer-electronics makers, signaled Japanese technology companies are withstanding slowing European demand and the stronger yen after raising their earnings forecasts.