Wires

The developers are buying land in Tier 1 cities, which are Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, or in Tier 2 cities, such as Suzhou, Wuhan and Hefei, but most are shunning smaller Tier 3 and Tier 4 cities. A sharp run-up in prices in major cities last year raised official alarm in Beijing about the potential for a boom and bust cycle, and led to a series of measures at...

EIGHT OUT OF TEN MAJOR CHINESE DEVELOPERS SURVEYED WILL INCREASE INVESTMENT, TWO WILL KEEP SPENDING ON LAND AT 2016 LEVELS.

CHINESE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS PLAN TO INVEST MORE IN LAND IN 2017 THAN IN 2016-- REUTERS SURVEY.

SHANGHAI, Feb 13- China's yuan weakened against the dollar on Monday as hopes of major U.S. tax reforms continued to boost the greenback. The People's Bank of China set the official yuan midpoint rate at 6.8898 per dollar prior to the market open, the weakest level in nearly four weeks and 79 pips softer than the previous fix at 6.8819. The dealer did not expect huge...

President Donald Trump will participate in a roundtable discussion about women in the work force Monday, an early sign of cooperation as Trudeau seeks to have good relations so Canada is not targeted in trade talks. A White House official and a senior Canadian government official said the two countries plan to launch a new task force called the United States...

SHANGHAI, Feb 13- Chinese stocks opened the week on a firm footing on Monday and were track for the fourth straight day of gains, with sentiment boosted by strong commodities, while the Hong Kong market hit four-month highs thanks to capital inflows from the mainland. He said liquidity concerns also eased somewhat as China's central bank injected 100 billion...

TOKYO, Feb 13- Boutique advisers specialising in micro-M&A for mostly family-run firms are enjoying a boom in Japan, as an ageing, shrinking population brings in the boundaries on the country's small business landscape. Japan's population, already the oldest among developed economies, is projected to shrink by a third by 2060.. Nihon M&A Center Inc, the largest...

BEIJING— Asian stock markets have risen after major Wall Street indexes ended last week at record highs and a summit between President Donald Trump and Japan's prime minister appeared to sooth tensions over trade and currency policies. Benchmarks in Japan, China, Australia and South Korea all advanced. Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 added 0.7 percent to 5,762.70 while...

Relief as currencies were not high on U.S.- Japan summit agenda. TOKYO, Feb 13- The dollar rose to a two-week high versus the yen on Monday, with the market breathing a sigh of relief as the closely watched two-day U.S.- Japan summit held over the weekend was seen to have ended smoothly. There was concern prior to the summit that Trump would reiterate accusations...

TOKYO, Feb 13- Japan's economy grew for a fourth straight quarter in the final three months of last year as a weaker yen supported exports, but tepid private consumption and the risks of rising U.S. protectionism cast doubts over a sustainable recovery. Japan's export-driven growth over the quarter has helped fill the economic shortfall left by anaemic...

TAIPEI, Feb 13- Taiwan stocks rose on Monday to a more than one-and-a-half-year high, tracking gains in overseas markets. President Donald Trump's tax reform plans and his change of tack to agree to honor the "one China" policy, and generally upbeat global economic data. The Taiwan dollar firmed T $0.037 to T $31.014 per U.S. dollar.

TOKYO, Feb 13- Japan's economy grew for a fourth straight quarter in the final three months of last year as a weaker yen supported exports, but tepid private consumption and the risks of rising U.S. protectionism cast doubts over a sustainable recovery. Japan's export-drive growth over the quarter has helped fill the economic shortfall left by anemic domestic...

SINGAPORE, Feb 13- Chicago wheat lost ground on Monday, snapping four sessions of gains and falling from its highest in seven months as ample world supplies weighed on the market. The Chicago Board of Trade most-active wheat contract dropped 0.5 percent to $4.46-3/ 4 a bushel by 0326 GMT. The USDA cut its estimate of world wheat ending stocks for 2016-17, largely...

*Spot gold may revisit Feb. 10 low of $1,221.02- technicals. *Specs raise net longs in gold in the week to Feb. 7. Spot gold shed 0.3 percent, to $1,229.77 per ounce at 0320 GMT, while U.S. gold futures fell 0.4 percent, to $1,231.

TOKYO, Feb 13- Japan's Nikkei share average probed more than one-month highs on Monday, cheered by Wall Street breaking records, a weaker yen and relief that talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yielded no negative surprises. On Abe's U.S. visit, Trump abruptly set aside campaign pledges to force Tokyo to pay more for U.S....

MELBOURNE, Feb 13- London copper extended gains to hit its highest in 20 months in heavy trade on Monday, driven up by supply worries after shipments were shut off from the world's two biggest copper mines. "The supply shocks caused by union strikes and regulatory uncertainties in the world leading copper mines, coupled with stronger than expected China's...

SYDNEY, Feb 13- U.S. wheat edged down on Monday to retreat from a seven-month high touched in the previous session, but U.S. government forecasts of smaller-than-expected global supply kept a floor under prices. *The most active wheat futures on the Chicago Board of Trade dropped 0.4 percent to $4.47-1/ 4 a bushel. *The USDA cut its estimate of world wheat ending...

SEOUL, Feb 13- Samsung Group leader Jay Y. Lee appeared at the South Korean special prosecutor's office for questioning on Monday as part of a wider investigation into an influence-peddling scandal that could topple President Park Geun-hye. Park, Lee, Choi, and Samsung Group have all denied bribery accusations. Proving illicit dealings between Park or her...

Asian stocks ticked up, helped by renewed optimism over Trump's tax reform plans, generally upbeat global economic data and Trump's change of tack to agree to honour the "one China" policy. "The global economy seems fairly sound now, compared to last year, as China is supporting its economy through fiscal measures. The official told reporters that a U.S.- Japan...