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• UPDATE 1-China June flash HSBC PMI hits 9-month low on weak demand Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 10:11 PM ET

  BEIJING, June 20- China's factory activity weakened to a nine-month low in June as demand faltered, a preliminary survey showed, heightening risks that a second quarter slowdown could be sharper than expected and raising the heat on the central bank to loosen policy.

• China June flash HSBC PMI hits 9-month low on weak demand Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 9:45 PM ET

  BEIJING, June 20- Activity in China's vast manufacturing sector weakened further in June to a 9- month low as new orders faltered, a preliminary survey of purchasing managers showed on Thursday, reinforcing signs of tepid economic growth in the second quarter.

• GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian stocks fall on Fed policy plan, China data looms Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 9:28 PM ET

  *MSCI Asia ex- Japan slips 1.7 pct, Nikkei down 0.6 pct. Sentiment was also fragile ahead of an HSBC "flash" report on China's factory activity, due at 0145 GMT, which could provide fresh evidence of weakness in Asia's largest economy.

• GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian stocks fall on Bernanke comments, China data eyed Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 8:33 PM ET

  *MSCI Asia ex- Japan slips 1.2 pct, Nikkei opens down 1.1 pct. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slid 1.2 percent, with Australian shares easing 0.4 percent and South Korean shares opening down 1.3 percent.

• PRECIOUS-Gold falls to 1-month low on Fed stimulus outlook Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 8:28 PM ET

  SINGAPORE, June 20- Gold fell for a fourth straight session on Thursday to its lowest in a month after the Federal Reserve said the U.S. economy was recovering strongly enough for the central bank to slow the pace of bond purchases later this year. *Spot gold fell 0.4 percent to $1,344.9 an ounce by 0013 GMT, after falling 1.2 percent on Wednesday.

• UPDATE 2-Switzerland buries U.S. tax law, banks seen at risk Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 12:19 PM ET

  BERNE, June 19- Swiss lawmakers dealt a death blow on Wednesday to a draft law which aimed to protect the country's banks from criminal charges in the United States for helping wealthy Americans evade tax. With or without the law, they will still seek out of court settlements with U.S. authorities that could cost the industry as much as $10 billion.

• UPDATE 1-Swiss lower house committee rejects U.S. tax deal again Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 10:28 AM ET

  *Committee votes 16 to 9 against debating U.S. deal. BERNE, June 19- A Swiss parliamentary committee has again urged the lower house to reject a draft law aimed at protecting the country's banks from criminal charges in the United States for helping wealthy Americans to evade tax.

• Local, global trends boost Gulf banks as foreign rivals retrench Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 10:00 AM ET

  ABU DHABI/ DUBAI, June 19- When British banker Michael Tomalin took the top job at National Bank of Abu Dhabi in 1999, the lender had about $9 billion in assets- tiny by global standards- and its operations were largely confined to the oil-rich emirate of Abu Dhabi.

• UPDATE 1-Britain says reckless bankers could face jail Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 9:48 AM ET

  LONDON, June 19- Bankers who are reckless with customers' or taxpayers' money could face criminal charges and have bonuses and pensions clawed back, according to proposals backed by Britain's prime minister on Wednesday.

• INTERVIEW-China's Wanda aims to launch $1 bln NY hotel project this year -chairman Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 6:52 AM ET

  BEIJING, June 19- Wanda Group, China's largest commercial real estate developer, aims to invest about $1 billion to build a five-star hotel in New York as its third major investment outside its home market, Chairman Wang Jianlin said on Tuesday.

• Swiss upper house keeps US tax deal alive; set for lower house Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 5:13 AM ET

  ZURICH, June 19- Swiss upper house lawmakers kept alive a draft law aimed at ending a long-running U.S. tax probe into hidden offshore accounts at Swiss banks on Wednesday, leaving the final say with the lower house, which has previously rejected it.

• Hong Kong shares seen subdued ahead of Fed policy guidance Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 9:11 PM ET

  HONG KONG, June 19- Hong Kong shares may start lower on Wednesday, with turnover likely weak as most investors stay on the sidelines awaiting the outcome of a two-day U.S. On Tuesday, the Hang Seng Index closed flat at 21,225.88 points, while the China Enterprises Index of the top Chinese listings in Hong Kong slipped 0.1 percent.

• Microsoft says it freed millions of computers from criminal botnet Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 6:29 PM ET

  *Microsoft says $500 million stolen before crack down. BOSTON, June 18- Microsoft Corp said that an assault it led earlier this month on one of the world's biggest cyber crime rings has freed at least 2 million PCs infected with a virus believed to have been used to steal more than $500 million from bank accounts worldwide.

• PRECIOUS-Gold down more than 1 pct on Fed jitters, equities gain Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 1:06 PM ET

  *Demand still soft in India, China- traders. NEW YORK/ LONDON, June 18- Gold fell more than 1 percent on Tuesday as U.S. equities rallied and bullion buyers took to the sidelines before the conclusion of a two-day Federal Reserve policy meeting they hope will give greater clarity on the outlook for U.S. monetary policy.

• GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks firm, dollar slips against euro as markets await Fed Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 12:38 PM ET

  *Brent crude rises above $106 before trimming gains. NEW YORK, June 18- U.S. equities pushed higher on Tuesday as investors grew more confident that the Federal Reserve would temper its recent statements on the future reduction of U.S. monetary support, while still pointing to economic improvement.

• FOREX-Dollar rises against major currencies on Fed speculation Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 9:47 AM ET

  NEW YORK, June 18- The U.S. dollar rose against most other major currencies on Tuesday as some traders bet the Federal Reserve may signal it's close to reducing its bond-buying program aimed at propping up the economy.

• Now the yen is joining in the battering of emerging markets Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 9:12 AM ET

  LONDON, June 18- Wild exchange rate swings in the yen are giving investors an added incentive to sell holdings of the emerging debt that not so long ago was billed as one of the prime beneficiaries of Japan's money-printing drive.

• FOREX-Dollar rises against yen as market seeks Fed clarity Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 7:31 AM ET

  LONDON, June 18- The dollar rose on Tuesday, moving away from recent two-month lows against the yen, with further gains dependent on U.S.

• Banks lead European shares higher in choppy session Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 7:22 AM ET

  *HSBC and StanChart leads banks higher on Citi note. LONDON, June 18- Banks led gains in European shares on Tuesday with HSBC and Standard Chartered boosted by a positive Citigroup note, while speculation over monetary policy tweaks in the United States and China created an uncertain backdrop to trading.

• UPDATE 2-Swiss parliament stalls progress of U.S. tax deal Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 6:57 AM ET

  ZURICH, June 18- Switzerland's lower house of parliament has stalled the government's bid to protect the country's banks from criminal charges in the United States for helping wealthy Americans to evade tax.