China Life Insurance Company Limited

Asian shares could see a flat start on Wednesday while Wall Street closed slightly higher overnight. Steelmakers and resource stocks are expected to suffer declines around the region follow commodities prices dropped. Most Asian markets posted small gains yesterday. Shanghai and Hong Kong bourses rose after an upbeat forecast from China Life Insurance Co., mainland's largest insurance company. China's Shanghai Composite added 0.5 per cent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index advanced 0.1 per cent. South Korea's Kospi and Taiwan's Taiex inched up 0.1 per cent each. But Japan's Nikkei 225 closed down 0.17 per cent on profit-taking selling.

Most Asian stock markets rebounded Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve's pledge to keep interest rates near zero for "an extended period". But analysts expect this would be a temporary rebound. Yesterday, Japan's Nikkei rose 1.6 per cent, boosted by the upbeat earnings reports. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index added 1.6%, South Korea's Kospi climbed 1.0 per cent and Taiwan's Taiex climbed 1.8 per cent.

On Friday, the US stocks were boosted by the encouraging earnings from major retailers and The Walt Disney Co. A record number of U.S. companies beat earnings expectations in the third quarter. This week a new round of economic data including retail sales, inflation readings and housing starts will be the focus after most corporate results already reported.

Asian markets Friday opened mixed. Japan's Nikkei traded lower in the morning, but the Japanese financial stocks surged after the rise on Wall Street overnight. Hong Kong opened flat as investors were cautious ahead of the earnings reports.

Asian markets Friday opened broadly higher as Wall Street rallied for a second consecutive day after some good corporate earnings. Yesterday the major indices posted strong gains. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 3.6% while Shanghai Composite jumped 3.1%. Japan's Nikkei 225 Average rose 1.8% and South Korea's Kospi added 1.2%.

Asian shares broadly fell Tuesday following the declines on Wall Street. But Investors' hopes over the stimulus measures from China and Japan have offset some bleak sentiment led by the US market. Japan's Nikkei 225 Average ended with a modest fall of 0.7% while South Korea's Kospi Composite gained 0.7% and Taiwan's Taiex added 0.2%. Shanghai Composite fell 1.1% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index ended 2.3% lower.

Yesterday the Asian major bourses posted losses, driven by negative sentiment caused in large part by doubts over the financial rescue package in the US and profit-taking. The US President Barack Obama was sending Congress a budget that projects the government's deficit for this year will soar to US$1.75 trillion, reflecting efforts to pull the nation out of a deep recession and a severe financial crisis.

Asian shares fell broadly yesterday following the sharp losses in Wall Street. Japan's Nikkei index extended its falling streak for the third trading session to a 26-year low. In Seoul, Kospi slumped 3.2%. China market, which is said as one of the world's best performers, saw a most massive drop of 4.6% in Shanghai Composite Index. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped 2.9% with China-related stocks tracking movements in Shanghai.