VENTURE CAPITAL POST

A long awaited plan to connect the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges will go live on Nov. 17, the Hong Kong bourse said in a statement on Monday.

Annual growth in China's exports and imports slowed in October, data showed on Saturday, reinforcing signs of fragility in the world's second-largest economy that could prompt policymakers to roll out more stimulus measures.

A sudden swell in China's exports of gold and jewelry may signal a resurgence of speculative currency inflows through inflated trade receipts, raising the prospect the central bank could again act to weaken the yuan and punish speculators.

China's national civil aviation authority says the country will need to train about half a million civilian pilots by 2035, up from just a few thousand now, as wannabe flyers chase dreams of landing lucrative jobs at new air service operators.

Tajikistan made the greatest strides in business-friendly reforms in the past year, part of an overall trend of improving business regulations across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the World Bank said in a report released on Tuesday.

Some of the world's biggest banks and asset managers have asked the Hong Kong securities regulator to delay a landmark China stock trading link that could generate billions of dollars of trade a day due to uncertainty over the scheme rules, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

British insurer Standard Life (SL.L) and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) (601398.SS) said on Wednesday they had agreed to look at developing savings and investment services together.

Some of the world's biggest banks and asset managers have asked the Hong Kong securities regulator for more time to prepare for a landmark China stock trading link due to uncertainty over the rules of the scheme, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

Asian stocks started the week on a brighter note on Monday, after solid U.S. data and earnings calmed tumult in global financial markets and reassured investors worried about the health of the world economy.

Sovereign wealth fund Qatar Holding LLC has agreed to buy a HK$4.78 billion ($616 million) stake in Lifestyle International Holdings (1212.HK), operator of the SOGO department stores in Hong Kong and mainland China, Lifestyle said on Monday.

China is set to unveil key legal reforms this week that will try to limit the influence local officials have on court cases, a move being closely watched by company executives who hope it will make the legal system more impartial.

China's year-to-date foreign direct investment inflows declined for a third month in September, indicating investors remained cautious amid a further slowdown in the world's second-largest economy.

Asian stocks stumbled to seven-month lows on Monday, while crude oil prices were pinned near a four-year trough as promising trade numbers out of China failed to cheer a market still worried about faltering global growth.

The World Bank cut its 2014-2016 growth forecasts for developing East Asia, noting that China was likely to slow due to policies aimed at putting the economy on a more sustainable footing, and it also cautioned of capital-flight risks to Indonesia.

Rio Tinto (RIO.AX) rejected a merger approach from smaller rival Glencore Plc (GLEN.L) to create a $160 billion mining and trading giant in August just as the price of its most profitable product, iron ore, hit a five-year low.