VENTURE CAPITAL POST

After five years of negotiations, 12 Pacific nations are about to conclude on a free trade agreement (FTA) as these countries have arrived on an understanding on Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) deciding monopoly on new biotech drugs.

The UN FAO reported low food price index - the lowest in six years. If the situation persists, the price drop will be welcomed by consumers globally, which is also beneficial for poor countries. But the plentiful supplies of these products may also have a negative impact for farmers with prices not enough to cover for production costs.

Chinese exports tumbled 8.3 percent in July, their biggest drop in four months and far worse than expected, reinforcing expectations that Beijing will be forced to roll out more stimulus to support the world's second-largest economy.

When construction of four 6.5 billion euro toll roads across Greece resumed last year, Greek and foreign businesses rejoiced.

The euro tumbled on Tuesday and the region's stocks and bonds jumped after the European Central Bank suggested it may speed up its 1 trillion euro bond-buying campaign slightly to account for lower market liquidity in high summer.

The dollar clawed its way higher on Monday, recovering from almost four-month lows reached late last week on another surprisingly bad round of U.S. economic data.

The dollar fell on Thursday to its weakest against a basket of major currencies since the European Central Bank announced a program of quantitative easing in January, hit by growing concern that the U.S. economy has not just been suffering from a winter chill.

The euro rose for a third day against the dollar on Thursday, pushing above $1.12 for the first time in two months on growing concern over the U.S. economy's prospects.

World stock markets and the dollar remained in a sharp sell-off mode on Thursday, having been jolted sharply lower by weak U.S. growth data and cautious comments from the Federal Reserve.

Emerging Asian central banks are expected to cut interest rates again in the coming months, but economists polled by Reuters are doubtful the moves will significantly boost growth or inflation.

Asian shares weathered a soft reading on Chinese manufacturing on Thursday as it only whetted expectations for more policy stimulus there, while a sharp rise in British and German bond yields rippled through global debt markets.

Video streaming pioneer Netflix Inc added more subscribers in the first quarter than it had projected, helped by aggressive expansion in overseas markets.

New Zealand's Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd (FCG.NZ) said it paid $553 million for a near 20 percent stake in China's Beingmate Baby and Child Food Co. Ltd (002570.SZ), as it looks to boost its presence in the country's branded dairy industry.

A group comprising KKR & Co, Varde Partners and Deutsche Bank are looking to securitize about A$7 billion ($5.33 billion) of debt they acquired from a unit of GE, three sources with knowledge of the matter said.

Chinese demand for New Zealand infant formula has fallen after a threat by suspected environmental activists to contaminate the product with an agricultural poison, the head of an exporter group said on Wednesday.