Hynix, Toshiba Shares Rise on Outage at Samsung Electronics Chip Factory

(Bloomberg) -- Shares of Hynix Semiconductor Inc. and
Toshiba Corp. rose, bucking declines across Asia, on speculation
a power outage at Samsung Electronics Co. may spur increased
orders for the two smaller memory chipmakers.

Hynix's stock gained as much as 2.8 percent in Seoul and
Toshiba shares climbed 1.8 percent in Tokyo as benchmark indexes
in Asia fell. On Aug. 4, South Korea's Samsung said it resumed
production at the six production lines that were halted a day
earlier because of a power outage, estimating 40 billion won ($43
million) in lost sales.


Read more at Bloomberg Emerging Markets News

South Korea's Kospi Index Falls Most in Four Months: World's Biggest Mover

(Bloomberg) -- South Korea's Kospi index fell the
most in four months as investors judged excessive the rally that
this week drove the Kospi index above 2,000 for the first time.
Samsung Electronics Co. led the decline.

``Today's loss is because of profit-taking,'' said Kim Ki
Bong, who oversees $2 billion at CJ Asset Management Co. in
Seoul. ``Shares have become more volatile of late as people are
quicker to sell if the market turns down and buy more heavily
during the rallies.''


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South Korea Stocks Fall, Reversing Earlier Gains; Exporters Drop on Won

(Bloomberg) -- South Korean stocks dropped, erasing
earlier gains. Samsung Electronics Co. declined after the won
rose to the highest since December against the dollar, eroding
the local-currency value of exporters' overseas earnings.

Samsung Heavy Industries Co. advanced after it said second-
quarter profit jumped to a record.


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Asian Stocks Rise the Most in Two Months on Takeovers; Posco, BHP Climb

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks rose the most in two
months, spurred by Rio Tinto Group's $38 billion bid for Alcan
Inc. and higher sales at U.S. retailers.

Posco surged by the most in four years and BHP Billiton Ltd.
climbed following Rio's offer. Samsung Electronics Co. jumped
after reporting better-than-expected earnings and a newspaper
said billionaire investor Carl Icahn may be planning a hostile
bid. South Korea's Kospi index, the region's best performer in
the past three months, advanced 2.8 percent to a new high.


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Samsung Electronics Posts Lowest Profit in Four Years as Chip Prices Fall

(Bloomberg) -- Samsung Electronics Co., Asia's
largest maker of semiconductors, flat screens and mobile phones,
reported its smallest quarterly profit in four years after a glut
drove prices of computer memory chips to record lows.

Second-quarter net income fell 5 percent to 1.42 trillion
won ($1.6 billion), from 1.5 trillion won a year earlier, the
Suwon, South Korea-based company said in a regulatory filing
today. That's the lowest profit since the second quarter of 2003.
Sales rose 3.7 percent to 14.63 trillion won.


Read more at Bloomberg Emerging Markets News

Asian Stocks Advance to Record on Takeovers, U.S. Retail Sales; BHP Gains

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks rose, pushing a regional
benchmark to a record, as takeover speculation increased and
concern eased that consumer spending in the U.S. will slow.

BHP Billiton Ltd. climbed to a new high following Rio Tinto
Group's offer to buy Alcan Inc. Samsung Electronics Co. surged to
a 10-month high after a newspaper reported that billionaire
investor Carl Icahn may be planning a hostile bid for the company.


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South Korean Stocks Gain, Led by Samsung, Chipmakers; Kangwon Land Plunges

(Bloomberg) -- South Korean stocks advanced for a
fourth day. Samsung Electronics Co. gained on speculation prices
for dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, will rise, helping
improve profit.

Kangwon Land Inc. tumbled by the most in more than four
years after the nearby city of Pyeongchang failed in its bid to
host the 2014 Winter Olympics.


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South Korean Chipmaker Stocks Advance on DRAM Price Rise; Samsung Climbs

(Bloomberg) -- South Korea's chipmaker stocks rose,
led by Samsung Electronics Co. on speculation a rebound in
prices for dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, will help
improve profit.

Korea Exchange Bank dropped after Lone Star Funds sold a
13.6 percent stake in the company for 1.19 trillion won ($1.3
billion).


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Asian Stocks Advance for Third Day on U.S. Inflation; Toyota, Samsung Gain

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks rose for a third day
after a measure of U.S. inflation cooled and the yen weakened
against the dollar and euro, helping improve earnings prospects
for the region's exporters.

Samsung Electronics Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. led gains
among technology companies and automakers. BHP Billiton Ltd.,
the world's No. 1 mining company, climbed after metals prices
advanced. China's CSI 300 Index opened 2.5 percent higher, set
for a record.


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South Korean Stocks Rise on U.S. Retails Sales; Samsung Electronics Gains

(Bloomberg) -- South Korean stocks advanced.
Samsung Electronics Co. rose after U.S. retail sales gained and
the Federal Reserve said growth isn't stoking inflation, easing
concern that interest rates will rise.

The Kospi index added 20.09, or 1.2 percent, to 1742.08 as
of 9:26 a.m. in Seoul. The Kosdaq gained 1.1 percent to 774.21.
Kospi 200 futures expiring in June climbed 1.2 percent to 221.15,
while the underlying index rose 1.2 percent to 221.10.


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Asian Stocks Fall to Two-Week Low on Rising Bond Yields; Samsung Declines

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks fell to a two-week low
on concern rising global interest rates will sap demand in the
world's largest economies.

Samsung Electronics Co. and Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing Co. led declines among exporters after yields on
U.S. bonds climbed to the highest in five years. BHP Billiton Ltd.
led mining shares lower after metals prices dropped.


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Asian Stocks Decline for Second Day on Interest Rate Concerns; Honda Falls

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks retreated for a second
day on concern rising global interest rates will curb consumer
spending and corporate profits.

Benchmarks in markets open for trading all plunged by more
than 1 percent, sending the Morgan Stanley Capital International
Asia-Pacific Index to its biggest loss in two weeks. Honda Motor
Co., which gets 80 percent of its revenue from overseas sales,
and Samsung Electronics Co., South Korea's largest exporter, fell
after U.S. bond yields jumped, fueling speculation interest rates
will increase in the region's largest export market.


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Asian Stocks Snap Five-Day Rally on Interest Rates Concern; Toyota Falls

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks fell for the first time
in six days after a higher-than-forecast gain in U.S. labor costs
fueled concern the Federal Reserve will follow Europe in raising
interest rates to tame inflation.

The Morgan Stanley Capital International Asia-Pacific Index
retreated from a record high, following declines in the U.S. and
Europe. Toyota Motor Corp., which made more than a third of its
sales in North America last year, and Samsung Electronics Co.,
Asia's largest maker of chips and mobile phones, led declines.


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Asian Stocks Fall on U.S. Economy Concern; Honda, Samsung Drop

Asian stocks were set for the first back-to-back drop in two weeks, led by companies that sell to the U.S. after consumer confidence and home prices fell in the region's largest export market.
Honda Motor Co., which had more than half of its sales in the U.S. and Canada last fiscal year, and Samsung Electronics Co. fell.

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Asian Stocks Drop, Led by Japan on Dividend Rights; Sony Falls

Asian stocks fell for the first time in four days, led by Japan's NTT DoCoMo Inc. as the majority of the country's shares traded without a dividend entitlement today.

Sony Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. paced exporters lower after new-home sales in the U.S. unexpectedly decreased, adding to concern growth in the world's biggest economy is slowing

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