The Weekly News Update is a weekly roundup of business news from around the Asia-Pacific region, covering Fusion Consulting's core industry practices: chemicals, consumer & retail, financial services, industrial & logistics, information & communication technology, life science and media & leisure. If you have colleagues or friends who may be interested in subscribing, please forward this email to them and copy knowledge@fusionc.com.

Dear ?NAME?,      Offshore Services & Equipment   Offshore exploration continues to breach new frontiers, driven by new finds,  technology and surging energy demand in China and other growth economies.  Opportunities abound for equipment and services vendors able to meet the sector's  exacting demands. Find out where the opportunities lie.  In the news this week  l 30-Nov-07 Eyes on booming Asian luxury goods market

A study commissioned by Altagamma, the Italian association of Italian luxury goods company, showed that sales of global luxury goods grew by 9% in 2006 to EUR159 billion (US$236 billion). The Asia-Pacific region (excluding Japan) grew by 18% year-on-year, led by China (30% growth), India (25% growth), Taiwan, Singapore and Korea. Premium luxury brands such as Gucci and Stella McCartney are expanding aggressively in the region. Capitalising on the growing demand for top-end products in Asia, MasterCard is customising and creating products aimed at those who want to enjoy the luxury and the very best in life. It has introduced its "World MasterCard" product in Asia, which provides premium tailored payment services for its most affluent customers. With strong economic growth in most Asian countries, the luxury goods market looks to remain strong through 2007. Click here to view this week's articles for all industries.    What you don't know can hurt you  Receive all the key news on your markets, industry and competitors each  week, with alerts for important breaking news, and avoid information  overload with human filtering. Find out more about our Market Monitoring   Service and web-based Intelligence Plaza system by emailing   marketing@fusionc.com.

Chemical Japan - Mitsubishi Chemical to bolster automotive resin ops outside Japan Singapore - October chemical output raised by epoxy compounds, adhesives Thailand - Dow Polyurethanes takes control of Thai joint venture

Consumer & retail Asia - Luxury brands expand in Asia Asia - Food laws could unlock Asian market India - European retail chains set to enter India

Financial services Asia - MasterCard targets Asia's growing band of 'super rich' China - Insurance industry realises US$79 billion in premiums by October Singapore - Motor insurance suffers US$28 million loss

Industrial & logistics China - DHL Plans US$175 Million Shanghai Hub India - Maersk India eyes investment opportunities in port sector Vietnam - Car imports reach US$1 billion

Information & communication technology   China - Digital still camera output to hit 80 million Units in 2007 Korea - Hynix forms partnership with SiliconFile in non-memory chip business Vietnam - Samsung eyes handset plant in Vietnam

Life science China - Sanofi-Aventis to invest in Chinese flu vaccine plant India - India, Canada to collaborate on pharma opportunities Philippines - Government hospitals ordered to prescribe generics

Media & leisure China - China driving growth of global digital TV Hong Kong - Digital turn-on Korea - Cable, broadband operators braced for internet TV fray

Previous issues

Korean petrochemical industry remains bullish [23-Nov-07] Korea braces for integration of its financial markets [16-Nov-07] Japan's beer makers seek diversification [26-Oct-07] Indian telecom operators and broadcasters fight it out in IPTV space [19-Oct-07] Low cos PCs take off, but fully-fledged PCs unflustered [12-Oct-07] Insurance firms chase growth in Asia [5-Oct-07]

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Best regards, The Intelligence Desk Team Fusion Consulting