HONG KONG, Jan 18- Southeast Asia bank acquisitions are set for a record year of volumes with more than $20 billion worth of deals in the pipeline and buyers from Qatar to Japan expected to be interested in a piece of the region's financial houses.
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18- Malaysian economist Azrul Azwar gave a presentation in Singapore last week that cost him his job.
Jan 17- Medical device maker Stryker Corp said it will buy Hong Kong- based Trauson Holdings Co Ltd for $764 million in cash to expand in China, one of the fastest-growing markets for orthopaedic products. Founded in China in 1986, orthopaedics firm Trauson had sales of about $60 million in 2011 and makes spine devices and products for trauma surgeries.
Jan 17- Medical device maker Stryker Corp said it will buy Hong Kong- based Trauson Holdings Co Ltd for $764 million in an all cash deal, to expand in one of the fastest-growing markets for orthopaedic products in China. Stryker will pay HK $7.50 for every share of Trauson.
*China Life Insurance hit by Credit Suisse downgrade. HONG KONG, Jan 17- Mainland Chinese shares retreated further on Thursday from a 7-1/ 2- month high struck two days earlier, weighing on Hong Kong markets, with growth-sensitive counters leading the slide ahead of a slew of major Chinese economic data due on Friday.
HONG KONG, Jan 17- Hong Kong shares slipped to a third-straight loss on Thursday as investors took profits on growth-sensitive counters ahead of a slew of Chinese economic data due on Friday. The China Enterprises Index of the top Chinese listings in Hong Kong ended down 0.4 percent.
HONG KONG, Jan 17- Mainland Chinese shares posted a second straight day of losses, slipping further from Tuesday's 7-1/ 2- month high, with growth-sensitive counters leading the slide ahead of a slew of major Chinese economic data due on Friday. The CSI300 of the top Shanghai and Shenzhen listings closed down 0.9 percent at 2,552.8 on Thursday.
*China Life Insurance hit by Credit Suisse downgrade. HONG KONG, Jan 17- Onshore China shares retreated further from a 7-1/ 2- month high on Thursday, reversing early Hong Kong gains, with growth-sensitive counters leading the slide ahead of a slew of major Chinese economic data being released on Friday.
SINGAPORE, Jan 17- Gold traded flat on Thursday as investors, concerned about the duration of ultra-loose monetary policy, refrained from betting big on an economic recovery while easing concerns about immediate supply shortages from South Africa clipped platinum's seven-day rally.
HONG KONG, Jan 17- Hong Kong shares may hold steady in a recent trading range on Thursday, with investors looking to rotate into laggards ahead of a slew of fresh China data on Friday, including fourth-quarter GDP growth.
BEIJING, Jan 17- Business is booming in Beijing's real estate offices-- good news for property agents like Zhang Huanhuan, but a headache for China's policymakers as worries resurface about the sustainability of investment in the sector.
SEOUL/ HONG KONG, Jan 17- Eager to dig homeowners out from under a $374 billion mortgage mountain, South Korea is moving to let its banks start selling securities similar to those at the centre of the 2007 U.S. housing crisis.
HONG KONG, Jan 16- Embattled Hong Kong leader Leung Chun- ying unveiled measures to increase land supply to bring down property prices and called for closer economic integration with China on Wednesday in a maiden policy speech likely to win him as many foes as friends.
Jan 16- A Hong Kong arbitration panel has ruled that China MediaExpress Holdings Inc was a "fraudulent enterprise" and awarded $77 million to Starr Investments, a firm run by former AIG chief Maurice Greenberg, a U.S. court filing shows.
*Shanghai volume robust, HK turnover weakest this year. HONG KONG, Jan 16- Onshore China shares were knocked off 7-1/ 2- month highs on Wednesday, also sinking Hong Kong, as investors took profit on recent outperformers such as Chinese financials ahead of more China economic data at the end of the week.