Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said on Monday that the central bank will look comprehensively at economic data and market conditions at its two policy meetings in April to measure the impact of last week's devastating earthquake on Japan's economy. "Stock prices have fallen sharply on uncertainty over the outlook for Japan's economy,"

A hydrogen blast at Japan's earthquake-stricken nuclear plant did not damage its primary containment vessel, the U.N. nuclear agency said on Monday. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was told by Japanese nuclear authorities the control room of the Unit 3 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant remained operational, following Friday's massive

Global companies from semiconductor makers to shipbuilders faced disruptions to operations after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan destroyed vital infrastructure and knocked out factories producing everything from high-tech components to steel. Thousands of people have been killed and millions have been left without water, electricity, homes or heat after Friday's 8.9 magnitude quake triggered

Nikkei futures extended losses on Monday, even after the Bank of Japan announced an increase in its asset buying programme, falling more than 7% at one stage before closing at 9,460, down 6.98% on the day. In the cash market, a record 4.88 bln shares changed hands on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's first section as

The Bank of Japan eased its monetary policy further on Monday as share prices plunged and a nuclear emergency seized the country after Friday's devastating earthquake and tsunami in northeast Japan. The central bank board decided by a vote of 8-1 to expand a fund pool for buying assets and conducting market operations backed by

Anonymous, a hacker group sympathetic to WikiLeaks, released on Monday emails that it obtained from someone who said he is a former Bank of America Corp employee. In the emails dating from November 2010, people that appear to be employees of a Balboa Insurance, a Bank of America insurance unit, discuss removing documents from loan

Brent crude touched a two-week low near $111 on Monday, down by nearly $3 on investor pessimism that economic growth will slow after Japan's earthquake and tsunami, while easing unrest in the Middle East threw the focus back onto ample oil supplies. April Brent fell as much as 2.4% to $111.16, the lowest price since