Finance leaders of the world's 20 biggest economies called for greater exchange rate flexibility from countries with large current account surpluses in an apparent reference to China.
First to go was a factory that produced generic drugs. Next, a pharmaceutical supply company said it would close. Then, GlaxoSmithKline PLC said last month it would shut its plant in this central Puerto Rican city.
James Hardie Industries, the biggest seller of home siding in the United States, said Monday that net profit for its first-half fiscal year fell 12 percent to US$115.1 million (?78.4 million) from a year ago, excluding funds for an asbestos victims fund.
The painful collapse of the U.S. housing market along with the credit crunch will weigh down economic growth in the final three months of this year and cause economic activity to lag in 2008.
The number of employees at Samsung Electronics has fallen for the first time in five years, the company said Monday, though it emphasized the reductions were not part of any broader restructuring.
The Nikkei Stock Average of 225 issues closed at 15,042.56 points on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, down 112.05 points, or 0.74 percent, from Friday.
Sony halved the fees it charges for a software development kit for the PlayStation 3 video game machine Monday to encourage outside designers to make more games for the struggling console.
The dollar fell against the yen in Asian trading Monday as Japanese exporter sold the greenback, yet big moves are unlikely this week because of upcoming holidays and a lack of big, market-moving events.
Shares in Northern Rock PLC, Britain's biggest casualty of the global credit squeeze, plunged more than 20 percent Monday after the stricken mortgage lender revealed that potential rescue bids were significantly below its current share price.
Japanese benchmark Nikkei index fell to a 15-month low Monday as traders sold steel and trading house shares amid lingering concerns about the outlook for the U.S. economy.
