More

• GLOBAL MARKETS-Shares stall on U.S. debt ceiling fears, dollar dips Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 4:05 AM ET

  *MSCI world index stalls near 18 month highs. LONDON, Jan 15- World shares stalled near 18- month highs and safe-haven Treasuries traded higher on Tuesday after U.S. The looming political row has stalled a New Year rally in the MSCI world equity index which was unchanged on Tuesday but near an 18- month high.

• UPDATE 2-S.Africa's Amplats to shed mines and 14,000 jobs Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 4:02 AM ET

  *To close four shafts in the platinum belt, sell Union mine. JOHANNESBURG, Jan 15- Anglo American Platinum, the world's top platinum producer, said it will mothball two South African mines, sell another and cut 14,000 jobs in moves to restore profits that may provoke a repeat of last year's strikes when about 50 people died.

• UPDATE 1-German economy contracted 0.5 pct in Q4 on euro crisis Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 3:57 AM ET

  WIESBADEN, Germany, Jan 15- The German economy contracted by a larger-than-expected 0.5 percent in the final quarter of 2012, a preliminary estimate from the Federal Statistics office showed on Tuesday, as the euro zone crisis weighed on exports and corporate investment.

• German Economy Slows Sharply as Crisis Hits Home Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 3:56 AM ET

  

  German gross domestic product (GDP) shrunk sharply in the last quarter of 2012, according to first estimates by the country's Federal Statistics Office. The government forecast fourth quarter GDP fell by 0.5 percent.

• UPDATE 1-Roche hires U.S. academic to revitalise research unit Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 3:51 AM ET

  *John Reed to head pRED from April 2. The Basel- based drugmaker said on Tuesday John C. Reed, 54, chief executive at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in California, would take over as head of Roche's Pharma Research and Early Development- known as pRED- on April 2.

• French finmin won't deny or confirm PSA-Opel reports Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 3:40 AM ET

  PARIS, Jan 15- French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said on Tuesday he would not confirm or deny reports that carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen could buy alliance partner General Motors' troubled Opel unit in Europe.

• Lufthansa falls on market talk of stock placement Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 3:36 AM ET

  LONDON/ FRANKFURT, Jan 15- Shares in German airline Lufthansa were among the worst-performing blue-chip stocks in Europe on Tuesday as three traders cited market speculation of a placement of shares in the company. Lufthansa shares were down 2.2 percent at 14.32 euros by 0820 GMT, underperforming a 0.3 percent decline on Germany's benchmark DAX equity index.

• UPDATE 1-France keeps up Mali air strikes, African troop plan advances Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 3:25 AM ET

  BAMAKO, Jan 15- France kept up its air strikes against Islamist rebels in Mali as plans to deploy African troops gathered pace on Tuesday amid concerns that delays could endanger a wider mission to dislodge al Qaeda and its allies.

• European shares touch 2-wk low, further weakness eyed Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 3:22 AM ET

  LONDON, Jan 15- European shares dropped for a fourth straight session and hit a two-week low on Tuesday, led by the banking sector and pressured by technical weakness in a leading index that is set to continue in the near-term.

• Hong Kong shares close down 0.1 pct, China Taiping rises Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 3:22 AM ET

  HONG KONG, Jan 16- Hong Kong shares ended slightly lower on Tuesday as the market took a breather have logged its highest showing in just over 1-1/ 2 years following rally in the China market, with property shares leading the slide ahead of the territory's policy address on Wednesday.

• METALS-Copper revisits 2-week lows as Fed rally peters out Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 3:12 AM ET

  *Coming up; Germany 2012 GDP at 0800 GMT. SINGAPORE, Jan 15- London copper slunk back to two-week lows on Tuesday as the dollar gained against the euro and wiped out an early rally after the U.S.

• German economy grows 0.7 pct in 2012 - stats office Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 3:07 AM ET

  WIESBADEN, Germany, Jan 15- Germany's gross domestic product growth drastically slowed to 0.7 percent last year, preliminary data showed on Tuesday, underscoring that Europe's largest economy may resist but not altogether escape the impact of the region's debt crisis.

• UPDATE 2-Brent slips to $111.50 as US debt talk uncertainty weighs Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 3:04 AM ET

  *Brent to end rebound below $112.42- technicals. SINGAPORE, Jan 15- Brent crude slipped to $111.50 a barrel on Tuesday after ending the previous session more than $1 higher, with the lack of an agreement over the U.S. debt ceiling and a forecast increase in the country's oil inventory weighing on prices. Brent slipped 38 cents to $111.50 a barrel by 0757 GMT.

• UPDATE 1-Bahrain's Investcorp sells CCC Information Services Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 2:48 AM ET

  DUBAI, Jan 15- Investcorp, one of the Middle East's largest private equity houses, has sold CCC Information Services to U. S-headquartered Leonard Green& Partners, the Bahrain- based firm said on Tuesday. Investcorp, which previously took public luxury brands Gucci and Tiffany& Co, had $11.5 billion in assets under management as at June 30.

• PRECIOUS-Platinum hits 3-mth high on Amplats; regains premium over gold Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 2:46 AM ET

  *Spot gold neutral in $1,653- $1,678 range- technicals. News that Anglo American Platinum, the world's top platinum producer, would indefinitely close four of its shafts in South Africa's platinum belt and sell its Union mine sent platinum up 2.1 percent to a three-month high of $1,691 an ounce.

• JGBs rise on expectations of more BOJ easing steps Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 2:22 AM ET

  TOKYO, Jan 15- Japanese government bond prices rose on Tuesday, with the benchmark yield marking its biggest one-day drop since August, as investors covered short positions on growing expectations that the Bank of Japan will take more easing steps as early as next week.

• Nikkei hits 32-month high, but minister's comments on yen pare gains Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 2:16 AM ET

  TOKYO, Jan 15- Japan's Nikkei share average closed at a 32- month high, as persistent weakness in the yen boosted demand for exporters' shares, though comments on the currency by the economic minister trimmed Tuesday's gains.

• Japan says confidence in Dreamliner at stake amid probes Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 2:00 AM ET

  TOKYO, Jan 15- Japan's transport minister acknowledged that passenger confidence in Boeing Co's new 787 Dreamliner jet is at stake, as both Japan and the United States have opened broad and open-ended investigations into the plane after a series of incidents that have raised safety concerns.

• FOREX-Yen rebounds on Japan Amari's remarks, dollar struggles after Fed Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 1:53 AM ET

  *Econ min Amari says excessive yen weakness negative for Japan. TOKYO, Jan 15- The yen rebounded from a 2-1/ 2- year low on Tuesday after Japanese Economics Minister Akira Amari's remarks that excessive yen weakness could have a negative impact on the country sparked profit-taking in heavy bets against the Japanese currency.

• UPDATE 1-Brent slips towards $111.50 as US debt weighs Tuesday, 15 Jan 2013 | 1:48 AM ET

  *Brent to end rebound below $112.42- technicals. SINGAPORE, Jan 15- Brent crude slipped towards $111.50 a barrel on Tuesday after ending the previous session more than $1 higher, with the lack of an agreement over the U.S. debt ceiling and a forecast increase in the country's oil inventory weighing on prices. Brent slipped 29 cents to $111.59 a barrel by 0627 GMT.