Despite earlier protests, there will be a new maglev line between Shanghai and Hangzhou. This week, the local government announced that the construction of this line will start in 2010, three years later than planned. It is supposed to be finished in 2015, when we will be able to go to Hangzhou in just 30 minutes.Things are looking dark on the Shanghai stock market: This Monday the Shanghai Composite Index ended down 5.34 percent, at......

Chinese investors came off of the October golden week in a buying mood. The A share market gapped higher and never looked back. At mid day break, the Shanghai Composite Index is up 3 percent, or 166 points at 5718, yet another record high. Speaking of buying, over the weekend, China Minsheng Bank agreed to acquire a 10 percent stake of San Francisco based United Commercial Bank. The term only calls for a slight premium,......

China’s August Consumer Price Index is out: a whopping 6.5 percent higher over comparable period last year, much higher than the 5.8 to 6 range economists were forecasting. The number, which measures inflation at the retail level, further breaks down to a 6.2 year over year price hike in major metro regions; but out in poverty stricken rural areas, goods and services are 7.2 percent more expensive than they were 12 months ago. In other......

Singapore’s Temasek Holdings and Singapore Airline’s joint bid for a 24 percent stake of China Eastern Airline finally received its blessing from Beijing last week. The deal valued CEA at HK$3.80 per share. China Eastern’s Hong Kong listing after a three month halt resumed trading earlier today and promptly doubled from HK$ 3.73 to HK$ 7.50 before paring back to settle around HK$ 6.90 in the afternoon. Today’s surge in gave the two new investors......

Japan's idea of 'broader Asia' partnership irks China [Sydney Morning Herald] The Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, has called for a "broader Asia" partnership of democracies to include India, the US and Australia but omit the region's superpower, China. Jailed dissident's wife under house arrest in Beijing [The Guardian] The wife of jailed Chinese activist Yuan Weijing is under house arrest tonight less than 24 hours before she was due to fly to the Philippines......

China jumps to top global financial tier [Sydney Morning Herald] Last Monday, despite bloodshed everywhere else and news that inflation had hit 5.6 per cent in China, the Shanghai Composite Index hit a new record high of 4840. It has risen nearly 500 per cent since July 2005, making every other big market look lifeless by comparison. The combined market capitalisation of Shanghai and its sister bourse in the southern city of Shenzhen has hit......

Chinese stocks plunged more than 5 percent yesterday, as more and more investors chose to stay away from the highly volatile market. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index fell 5.25 percent to close at 3,615.87 points, extending Wednesday's two percent loss. In the last month, almost half of the yuan-denominated A-shares in the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges have fallen more than 30 percent. On Wednesday, only 70,132 new accounts were opened - a big drop......

Back in late February, a 10 percent swoon in China’s equity market touched off a global sell off. Had you NOT listened to us and bought in on the dip, you’d be sitting pretty and swimming in coins like Scrooge McDuck. Yesterday, the Shanghai Composite Index crossed 4000 for the first time ever, a whopping 50 percent higher than where it stood at the end of that dreadful day just two months ago, and on......

Are you in the Chinese stock market? No, this isn’t a reprint of the post from last month. We ask because yesterday, both the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges dropped about nine percent, registering their biggest decline in a decade, surpassed only by the sell off the day after late reformist leader Deng Xiaoping died in 1997. A month ago, Shanghaiist told you about the national mania that is the local stock market. While both the......